Thank you for loving me
by Stelra Etnae
Summary: In a different world, Roger entrusts the safety of his unborn child to his first mate Rayleigh. The name Gol D. Ace holds meaning for many – his father's dreams, his mother's hope, but most importantly, his own will. This is the story of a boy who grows up surrounded by those who love him and he loves in turn; a boy proud of his father's legacy and his own place in the world. AU
**_This story was written for the One Piece Big Bang 15/16, a tumblr-based fanfiction project where writers write stories of 25k words or more (or 15k, for the mini-bang tier). It's my first time joining the OPBB, and it's been a great journey throughout. I daresay I wouldn't have had the motivation to write this whole story out otherwise!_** ** _Don't miss out on the many great stories by the other participants of OPBB 15/16, links to which can be found on the opbigbang Tumblr._**

 ** _Also a shout-out to my awesome artist partner viv-heart, who drew a family portrait of Ace, Rayleigh and Shakky for this story! Don't forget to check it out and give your support! You can find the post on her Tumblr page, or go straight to the picture by pasting the following section behind the web address:  
_**

 ** _/post/143329615597/this-is-my-first-contribution-to-this-years_**

 ** _(FF Net has always been a pain with external links, so I'm afraid this is best I can manage! Don't let it put you off!)_**

 ** _Notes: Some of you may have noted the similarity of the summary plotline to Pure Gold, one of my older stories. While this story_ is _in a way an expansion of that fic (the Rayleigh scenario, specifically), there is absolutely no need to read Pure Gold first, and in fact some parts of this story are different from the ones I wrote originally there. (though of course I would be very happy if you do go on to read Pure Gold as well *shameless self-promotion*) But that's enough of my author's rant._**

 ** _As always, I hope you enjoy reading, and would much appreciate it if you would leave a review at the end._**

 ** _Onward to the story!_**

* * *

 **Thank you for loving me**

 _"I don't wanna live a thousand years. If I just live through today, that'll be enough." ~ Portgas D. Ace_

The sunlight, filtered green through the leaves of the giant mangroves overhead, with the occasional rainbow dancing across from a stray bubble, slanted into the quiet pub at midday. Its only patron was a blond man reading a newspaper; even the bartender was gone, though several bottles of fine scotch had been lined up on the hardwood bar, one of which the man reached for and poured himself a glass.

A quick patter of footsteps on the worn boards of the entrance heralded the return of some person, shattering the silence that had graced it before then. A moment later, a small form collided with great strength into the man's midriff, one that may have knocked over a lesser man, but as it was the man's only response was to set down his newspaper to smile in a distinctly fatherly manner at the child who beamed up at him, a thousand times more radiant than the sun.

"Uncle Ray!"

"Welcome back, Ace. Were you a good boy and listened to Shakky?"

"Uh-huh!"

"We had great fun, didn't we, Ace-chan?" The dark-haired woman in question entered at a much more sedate pace, tugging grocery-filled bubble balloons with her. These she tied by their strings to the back of a chair and set about putting the items away. The rambunctious three-year-old clambered onto the stool next to Rayleigh, undaunted by the challenge of its height. Obstacle conquered, he instantly launched into an enthusiastic account of the day.

"...And then, and then, we went up the Ferris Wheel!" The boy waved his hands about to emphasize on the size, tottering a little on the high stool but catching himself in time. "And got up reaaaally close to the sky! It was like I could touch the clouds, but Shakky said not to put my hand out. So I waved to the sky, because that's where Daddy and Mummy are, right? Uncle Ray, do you think Daddy and Mummy saw me?"

Rayleigh's smile was wistful as he smoothed one hand over Ace's hair, dark curls bouncing stubbornly between his fingers, the boy staring at him with eyes bright with hope.

"I'm sure they did."

* * *

Rayleigh still remembered that day as clearly as if it was just yesterday.

It had been a cool clear night, typical for the autumn island where he had docked for the night. He sat at a table tucked into a corner of the island's only pub, hood up and shadowing his face. In his hand he nursed a tankard of tolerably decent ale, the best the pub had to offer, as he waited for the man who had summoned him to this place. No return address had been given on the letter he had received, nor any name signed beneath that single line of a coded message, but there was no doubt about the senders' identity. After all, it was a code he and Roger had made long ago, in those early days when they had grown bored of the quiet days at sea with just the two of them. Not even any of their other crewmates knew of it.

The thump of glass on wood made his eyes snap towards the hooded figure that had settled down on the seat opposite him. Two glasses were placed down beside the bottle, which the newcomer silently filled with dark rum before sliding one across the table to Rayleigh.

"Hey, partner."

The flickering lamplight gleamed off white teeth as the other man finally pushed back his hood. Rayleigh's smile matched the captain's as he raised his glass in a toast. Roger's grin widened as they clinked their glasses together, both men downing the alcohol in one gulp. Roger picked up the bottle again to refill them.

"So, you been making a habit of tipping overboard in storms lately?"

The first mate snorted into his drink. "I don't want to hear that from _you_ ," the first mate accused, shooting an unimpressed glare at the captain at the unfairness of the teasing. "Remember that time you went overboard and somehow ended up on Whitebeard's ship?"

Roger just grinned, wholly unabashed. "Good times, that. Newgate had great booze."

Rayleigh couldn't help the irrepressible quirk of his lips at the other man's customary shameless response. "So you met up with Gaban's lot? I was wondering how you knew where to get hold of me."

"Yeah, ran into them by chance, out in South Blue. They'd made port to pick up some supplies, and I was getting some things for Rouge that we couldn't get hold of from the marketplace back on her island. I don't think they expected to actually bump into me there anymore than I did. We caught up with some drinks, they seemed to be doing well. That was what, more than a month back? A lot has happened since then. Good things." At Rayleigh's questioning look, he beamed, grin stretching across his face. "Rouge's pregnant. Can you believe it, Ray? I'm going to be a father."

Rayleigh's surprise quickly faded away into a broad smile that matched his friend's. "Damn, that's amazing, Roger."

"Isn't it! We've even picked out a name. Ace, if it's a boy; Ann if it's a girl. Rouge says she wants them to be like me, but personally I hope our child will take after Rouge. Especially her freckles, I've always loved them. And her kindness as well, the sweetness that makes her beautiful both inside out. But I'm being sappy, aren't I?" Roger chuckled at his own words, the sparkle in his eyes never dimming with his love for his wife and unborn child.

"Nothing new there," Rayleigh teased. After all, everyone in the crew had known how besotted their captain was with his lady. Pirate Queen, they liked to call her. And with good reason too, for all of those who had gotten to meet her could see the strength of character underlying her gentle smile. No woman was more worthy of being the one and only love of the man they had followed to the end of the seas and back.

"Well my Rouge is an unmatched treasure," Roger agreed with no embarrassment whatsoever. "She'll be an amazing mother, and-"

Suddenly Roger broke off into a series of wheezing coughs, muffled by his hand. Catching Rayleigh's frown, he quirked a self-deprecating grin at his former first mate. "Come on, we both knew this was coming. I wish I could be there for my child growing up, but the fact is that this body is not going to last for much longer. It's not something that can be changed just by wishing." The grin faded after a moment, dark eyes turning serious. "Actually, this is the reason I asked you to come here today, Ray. I have a favor to ask. I want you to take care of them in my place, Ray. There's no one I trust more for this."

Even without the solemn sincerity in Roger's eyes, Rayleigh already knew what his answer would be. He would never hesitate, not for a request made by his closest friend, especially not with a matter such as this. "Of course I will."

"Thank you, Ray. Truly."

"You know that you can call on me at anytime, Roger."

Roger laughed lightly. "Ever the reliable first mate. I'll leave them in your hands, then, partner."

The dark-haired captain stood, and Rayleigh did the same, looking into his friend's eyes. That trademark grin was back on his face as those black eyes glimmered with the same vigor they had held when they first met. "Watch me, Ray, I'm going to go out with a bang. The world will never forget the name Gol D. Roger."

Rayleigh choked out a watery laugh. "Damn you and your crazy ambitions," he accused fondly, impulsively catching Roger in a tight hug which his friend returned with equal feeling. "I'm going to miss you, Roger."

"Don't." Roger's expression at that moment was a sight that would forever be imprinted into his memories, that grin that stretched over both cheeks, fearless and radiant. "Because I'll never die, partner."

Three weeks later, as people from all around the world made plans to sail to Loguetown to witness the most momentous execution of the century, Silvers Rayleigh quietly set off on a small boat for a different sea – South Blue.

* * *

Rayleigh lifted his gaze from his morning newspaper to slide an amused glance at the fidgeting child on the stool beside his. Ace seemed to have become a bundle of uncontrollable movements, alternating between swinging his legs and tapping his palms against the side of the table to casting anticipating looks towards the door virtually every second. The blond man chuckled softly as he turned to the next page. After a few more minutes of it, Ace flopped down against the bar with a small bored whine.

The faint sound of approaching footsteps made the boy straighten with a jerk in his seat and bounce off it immediately, streaking outside with a speed that could have put Kizaru to shame. A moment later Ace barreled back into the room. "Hachi's here!" the boy proclaimed loudly, eyes shining.

Rayleigh set his reading down on the bar as the young octopus fishman walked in. "Ah, Hachi, welcome."

"Nyuu, it's good to see you, Rayleigh."

"Hachi, Hachi, let's play!" Ace tugged insistently on one of the older boy's arms, already steadily dragging him towards the backroom where the toys were kept. They passed Shakky on the way, whose eyes twinkled at the sight.

"Now, now, Ace-chan, Hacchan just arrived, let him rest for a bit. Would you like some pineapple juice, Hacchan?"

"Yes, thank you, Shakky."

"Hachi, today we are pirates and we're gonna go look for tre-sur."

Shakky shared a laughing look with Rayleigh as Hachi obediently lifted the painted cardboard box that was their "ship" at the younger boy's instruction, while Ace speedily gathered up their "weapons" from the toy box. Honestly, Ace had Hachi twisted around his little finger. And the rest of them, as well, really.

The first time Hachi met Ace was just a few months after Rayleigh had returned from Baterilla with the recently-born infant, on one of the boy's regular visits. The fishman child had been utterly flustered when they had placed baby Ace into his arms, all six of the boy's arms trembling slightly in his effort to keep them utterly still as they held the tiny body. The baby had seemed perfectly comfortable with his new makeshift cradle, and it wasn't long before Hachi felt brave enough to free one pair of his arms to play peek-a-boo, much to Ace's delight. The pair had been fast friends ever since then.

"Uncle Ray says One Piece is in a very, very far place," Ace was telling the other boy seriously. "And it's really, really hard to find. But we can do it if we work together. I'm the captain, and you're my first mate, kay, Hachi?"

"Nyuu, aye aye, captain."

Rayleigh hid his smile behind his newspaper as Ace and Hachi proceeded to valiantly battle against Sea Kings (artfully made with a combined pile of stools, brooms and blankets that the boys had dragged over), survive storms and defeat "evil bad guys". When the children moved towards deciphering a set of treasure maps (a stack of yellowed paper which Shakky had unearthed from a drawer at Ace's request and Rayleigh was pretty convinced were actually the real deal), Shakky emerged from the kitchen with a steaming pot of stew.

"Ace-chan, Hacchan, we're having lunch soon, so go wash your hands."

"Okay!" Instantly perking up at the prospect of food, the freckled boy abandoned the maps to dash to the back, Hachi quickly following suit. Rayleigh folded his newspaper to go help set the table. The boys were there in the kitchen already, Ace hopping nimbly off the step-stool to let Hachi have his turn at the sink. The younger boy beamed as the fishman child turned off the tap and they headed back towards the taproom, their conversation floating back down the hall as Rayleigh followed with the plates.

"Hachi, when we grow up, we'll go look for One Piece together, kay?"

"Nyuu, okay, Ace."

Rayleigh chuckled to himself. Looks like the boy was busy recruiting crew members already.

* * *

Ace frowned at the sight of the open satchel on the bed. Clambering onto the large double bed, he peeked inside to find a few very familiar pieces of plain cotton clothing tucked into the bag. His frown deepened into something resembling more of a pout.

"Are you going away again, Uncle Ray?" he asked as its owner returned to the room, unable to keep the tinge of disappointment from his voice.

Rayleigh sighed softly, first carefully setting aside the lighter and penknife in his hand on the dressing table before sitting down next to the boy on the bed.

"Ace, do you remember what I told you before, about how there are some people who don't like your father and me and want to hurt us?"

"Uh-huh. But..." The boy looked visibly dissatisfied, the pout intensifying. "If they want to hurt Uncle Ray, then they're bad people! We should fight them!"

"It doesn't quite work that way."

"Why not?"

"It's true that if they want to hurt us, it's bad. But if we hurt them, then _we're_ the bad people, right?"

"...Right." It was clear that Ace wasn't too happy, but couldn't come up with a rebuttal to that simple logic.

"That's why I need to go away sometimes so that they won't know where I am. If they can't find us, we won't need to hurt each other. Do you understand why this is better, Ace?"

"Uh-huh..."

Rayleigh ruffled the boy's hair fondly. "Good boy. Now off to bed with you, I can hear Shakky calling you. Good night, Ace."

"...Good night, Uncle Ray." Ace still looked upset as he slouched out the door, but obediently went to his bedroom just across the hallway to let Shakky tuck him in with a good night kiss.

Rayleigh looked up from his packing to meet Shakky's gaze as she entered the room.

"This has to do with rumors of someone asking around for Silvers Rayleigh in town, isn't it? That's why you're in such a hurry."

Rayleigh hummed in acknowledgment, picking up the lighter and penknife from the table to tuck them into one of the side pockets. "I heard word of it when I went into town earlier. I'd been meaning to leave sometime soon anyway, so why not now? It's about time for me to go off for a bit either way. Give a few sightings of me here and there to throw the Marines and whoever else is still chasing me off our scent."

"Ace misses you when you're away, you know."

"And you will as well?" Rayleigh added, a teasing light entering his eyes.

"In your dreams, you old fox." She rolled her eyes as she slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. "And I'm being serious here. He doesn't like to show it, especially in front of you, but it's obvious that he does."

Rayleigh sighed again, the melancholy of remembrance falling back over the both of them. "It's times like these that he's most like Rouge. Roger would have thrown a fit, but Rouge would always stand at the shore when we left, waving with a smile and sad eyes."

He turned to look blindly out the window, where the glow of moonlight failed to penetrate the shadows of the giant mangroves. Like the darkness of the unknown, not knowing where their enemies may be lurking, waiting for the tiniest slip. He shook his head, turning back away from the window.

"It can't be helped. My face is too well known around these parts, not to mention that my bounty is still active. Even as it is now, too many people are aware that I am here. I try my best to keep a low profile, but there's no way to hide completely. There are people who know my connection to you, and know about Ace's presence here. If it goes on one day someone may connect the dots to the correct conclusion, and I can't take that risk. I want to give Ace as normal a childhood as I can. I promised Roger that I'd protect him, after all." The former pirate chuckled suddenly. "Just listen to me. Silvers Rayleigh, former pirate and consummate gambler, talking about lying low and not taking risks. The past me would be laughing his head off."

"It's because you've become a father, Ray," Shakky said softly.

Rayleigh looked slightly startled at that quiet statement, until a tender smile mellowed the harsh lines of his face. "And so I have."

* * *

There was a group of hooded men huddled in the corner of the crowded taproom. That in itself wasn't an especially notable thing – this was the lawless area, after all, and there were plenty of people who didn't favor having their identities broadcasted to rivals and bounty hunters alike. Shakky even might have overlooked them completely if she had not overheard one name spoken between them that instantly drew her complete attention as she passed by their table.

"So, has anyone heard anything about Silvers Rayleigh?"

"There definitely are rumors of him being seen around these parts, but people can just say whatever they want. Nobody I've asked seems to know anything beyond that. Sabaody is huge, he could literally be anywhere, if he's here at all. Okashira's set us up for quite the challenge here."

"Well, we do have some time to kill while our ship's getting coated. And Okashira has been looking for the Dark King for a long time."

"Speaking of which, where _is_ Okashira?"

No answer seemed forthcoming in response to that query, and the group uttered a collective quiet sigh.

They glanced up as she approached to take their orders. Shakky surreptitiously ran her gaze around the table, noting out distinctive features that may help her identify them later. There were six of them in total – a fat man who sat munching on a leg of meat, whose cloak couldn't fully cover a green and white striped t-shirt; a tall man with a monkey perched on his shoulders; a wiry man with unruly blond hair peeking out from behind his hood, whose fingers tapped a quiet rhythm against the table; two others in the dark corner who she couldn't see clearly under their hooded cloaks; and finally the one sitting closest to where she stood, who smoked a slim cigar, the end glowing faintly in the half-darkness.

There was an air of quiet authority about him, and if Shakky were to make a guess about who was in charge in that group, she would place her bets on that last person.

The hand resting against the table was broad and calloused with a light tan, a feature that was mirrored in the others. Pirates, she wagered, weathered by rough work and the sea. But friend or foe?

It was the smoker who spoke up again when she returned with their drinks. There was a distinct smoker's rasp to his deep voice, but Shakky estimated the man to be fairly young, possibly in his late twenties. One of those rookie pirates that the Archipelago seemed to see on a daily basis these days, thanks to the Pirate King's outrageous scheme. "I've heard that you're one of the best information brokers in town."

"My my, how flattering. Well, it all depends on what you're asking for, and what you can offer in return."

Shakky leaned her hip casually against the table, her signature enigmatic smile painted across her lips. She had indeed garnered a decent bit of infamy over the years as being one of the most well-connected brokers in the area. And in a hub like Sabaody, that said a lot. It also meant that Shakky could afford to charge both her alcohol and her cooperation steeply. And play her cards close to her chest, like this situation required. She knew even before he voiced it what he was going to ask.

"I've heard that Silvers Rayleigh has been sighted around these parts." As he spoke, the man extracted a pouch from his pocket and placed it on the table. Shakky picked it up, pretending to hum consideringly as she weighed it on her palm. It was quite the decent offer. She dropped the cloth-wrapped gold back onto the hardwood surface, smile never leaving her face. "Hmm, there have been such rumors."

She had to tread carefully here. Shakky was an information broker, but Silvers Rayleigh was a very special case. Some information was important enough to guard with their lives. Like the child tucked warmly into bed above-stairs. The man had no idea that he had found the one person on this island who could give him the most or least information about the person he sought. What she really wanted to judge was their intentions. Chances were, these men and their 'Okashira' had been the ones fishing around town. If she did it right, she could get the information that she needed out of them instead. It was a slight disadvantage not to be able to fully see their eyes, but Shakky was nothing if not an expert at reading body language.

The man was watching her closely. "I'm seeking information on how to get in contact with him."

"Silvers Rayleigh is not a man who is easily found, you know."

"Even with your connections?"

"Well I would certainly stand a better chance than you," Shakky acquiesced, her trademark mysterious smile dancing around her lips. This man was clearly no amateur, pressing on unyieldingly despite her airy statements. She had to tread carefully if she were to figure out his purpose and deflect his path as needed.

"Name your price."

The door slammed open then, hitting the wall with a bang that made Shakky narrow her eyes in annoyance as she cut off her answer. That better not have woken Ace!

The newcomer didn't seem to notice her glare, making a beeline for the group to stop right in front of the smoker. "Benn!" Quick-fire words slipped out of his mouth right away, slightly jumbled in their panic. "Okashira got into a fight with some punks, then this bunch of Marines crashed the place! We all bailed the place and got split up, I regrouped with some others but we still can't find Okashira anywhere!"

The smoker gave an aggravated sigh as he stood instantly. "That idiot! I told him to keep a low profile!"

Steel gray eyes turned towards her, the man's face revealed by the changed angle of light. Shakky's mind cataloged those features instantly, quickly comparing them against the bounty posters she had looked through just that morning and found a clear match. The dark-haired first mate extracted a second pouch from under his cloak and placed it on the table.

"Tell Silvers Rayleigh, 'The Pirate King's straw hat'. He'll understand."

As the blond sniper paid for their drinks and the bunch of them filed hastily out of the door, Shakky chuckled to herself, a twinkle in her eye. It was a good thing that Rayleigh hadn't set off yet. He would find this very interesting indeed.

* * *

Shanks let out a sigh in relief as the Marines thundered past below. Thank goodness the darkness dimmed down even his red hair, allowing him to stay undetected in his precarious situation hanging from the building's upper floor. To be exact, clinging to the external pipes, which luckily for him were sturdy and dry. Years' experience of scaling up the rigging in less than optimal weather conditions made this look like child's play in comparison, but even so the young pirate captain would be happy to leave this position.

He almost fell off from the shock of spotting a pair of inquisitive eyes staring at him through the glass panes of the closed window just to his right. Recovering himself, he pressed one finger to his lips. His grin widened as the small child mirrored the action.

Checking to make sure the coast was clear of all pursuers, Shanks shimmied back down the pipe, giving the boy at the window a last cheery wave before disappearing into the streets.

* * *

"What do you want to eat for lunch, Ace-chan?"

"Umm... Pizza?" the boy suggested after a bit of thought.

"Sounds like a good idea. Shall we buy some tomatoes and cheese then?"

"And sausages! Let's add lots!"

Shakky chuckled at the child's excitement. "Of course."

The butcher nodded at them in greeting as they wove through the marketplace crowd to his stall, sparing a kind smile Ace as he peered curiously across the array. "You're in luck, ma'am, I just got a fresh stock of Mizu Mizu sausages straight from Water 7, would you like to buy some?"

"I'll take five, and a whole chicken."

"Right away, ma'am!"

Ace's gaze had strayed to the stalls nearby, taking in colorful vegetables and the smell of roasting meat. It was the latter that he was most attracted to, the boy looking eagerly over in the direction of the food stall as he waited for Shakky to finish haggling with the butcher. And happened to spot a rather familiar figure munching contently on a steaming burger. It was the red-haired Nii-chan!

A grin lit up on his face as he darted towards the older youth, temporarily forgetting Shakky's usual instructions to stay by her side.

Before he could get very far however, a hand picked him up by the scruff of his t-shirt. But the arm was burly and unfamiliar, clearly not Shakky's. The owner of the arm spoke over his head in a hoarse voice that held a tone of cruel mockery.

"Well what do we have here? Hey boss, should we take a kid too? I bet some of those buyers like them young."

Shakky's eyes snapped towards the group of men as they laughed, heart skipping a beat at the sight of the struggling boy in their grasp. Slave hunters!

Their audacity was getting worse these days, actually daring to target a marketplace in broad daylight like this. But with the Marines too occupied with pirates to watch over the further districts, those crooks rarely met the law they deserved. The crowd quickly made a wide berth around the sleazy group of men, faces guarded and drawn with worry. It didn't stop one of the slave traders from snatching up the arm of a terrified young woman who had been a little slow in shying away.

"How about coming with us, pretty?"

Shakky's fingers curled around the small pistol she always kept in a hidden holster at her hip, but her aim was blocked by the crowd that stood frozen watching the scene, no one daring to either run or interfere. She made to push her away through, careful not to draw too much attention, but someone else beat her to it.

"Leave them alone."

A quiet but strong voice cut through the tense air as a single figure stepped forward.

One of the slave traders, a greasy looking man with crooked teeth and a rough unshaven face, sneered at him. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Some punk who thinks he's a hero. No one ever taught you to respect your elders, brat?"

Shanks' eyes narrowed. "Scum like you aren't worth any respect."

The slave traders just laughed, the sound mocking and grating on the ears. "Cheeky brat, this one." Their leader's eyes watched him with leer that made him feel dirty. "But I bet with that pretty red hair there he'll fetch just as pretty a price in the market too. And some of those guys like them feisty. We'll take him too."

Shanks tensed as the slave traders moved closer to surround him in a circle, laughing coarsely and clearly patronizing him due to his age. Normally he would have drawn his swords and lunged straight into an offensive, but the slave hunters still held the girl and the child hostage. He had to do something to get them to safety first. He held his gaze firm as he quickly considered his options. All in all, that skill was probably the best course of action for the moment, even though his still immature control over it meant it would probably affect some of the bystanders as well. It would have to do.

Blowing out a slow breath, he unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki that had most of the slave hunters collapsing instantly, the remaining few wavering on their feet.

Dashing forward, he made short work of them, slamming the hilt of his sword into the chin of the burly man who held the child and catching the boy in his free arm as he fell. He re-sheathed the sword when it was clear that none of the men were about to get up again.

A man, presumably the girl's older brother by their resemblance, had quickly come forward to pick her unconscious form up. She had fainted together in the attack, something that Shanks felt rather guilty about. "Sorry about that. She should be fine after a bit."

The man looked a little wobbly himself, but was clearly relieved at Shanks reassurance, uttering a shaky thanks.

"Nii-chan that was really cool!"

Shanks blinked as he belatedly realized the child in his arms had remained completely conscious, not seeming to have been even slightly affected by it, then grinned. "You're a tough one, kid."

The child grinned back, not seeming too fazed by the dangerous experience he had gone through.

"Look out!"

Shanks spun around at the cry, avoiding the dagger that had been aimed straight at his heart. It still glanced off his arm however, drawing a thin line of blood that stained the white sleeve of his shirt. Unsheathing one sword again in a flash, he pushed the child behind him as the attacker lunged forward again, a crazed look in his eyes. He unarmed the man with deft motions, the dagger falling with a clatter to the ground as Shanks smashed the flat of his blade into his opponent's face, knocking him out. The man didn't get up again.

Shakky pushed through the crowd, frowning as she kept her eyes on Shanks, sensing something amiss. The red-haired youth was breathing a little too heavily considering that he should have hardly exerted himself. She advanced quickly, arriving just in time to break his fall as the young captain collapsed. His face was pale under his tan, looking even more sickly in contrast to his red hair.

Poison! Shakky knew of the poison that slave hunters liked to use in capturing their prey. It was fast-acting in that it was capable of knocking the victim down at a speedy rate, but slow in that its lethal effects were weak. Still, without treatment it could still well prove fatal. For this reason Shakky was sure that the slave hunters would have some stock of the antidote on them. She leaned down to gently set the youth down on the mossy floor, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Startled, Shakky looked over to meet Rayleigh's gray eyes under his drawn hood. Her partner looked absolutely furious, steely eyes flashing with the boiling anger she hadn't seen from him since his sailing days, reigned in only because of his concern for the boy. She had no doubt that the former pirate would have liked to dealt the attacker a slow and painful death, but for the moment his protege's safety took precedence. Strong arms took over from her, easily lifting the youth's slim body.

With a quick nod of understanding, Shakky drew away to quickly rummage through the pouch at the slave hunter's belt. Finding a few vials, she tore the pouch off with a quick swipe of her dagger. Identifying the clear liquid as the antidote, she uncorked one vial and carefully poured the contents down Shanks' throat, holding him up so that he could swallow better. After a few tense moments the youth's breathing eased somewhat, eliciting relieved sighs from both of them. She gently brushed a damp lock of hair out of the boy's face, looking over at Rayleigh.

"There should be no danger now, but I'll go get Gloriosa to come check on him just in case. Bring him back to our place. I'll come as soon as I can with Ace."

A silent nod was the only reply before Rayleigh took off at a swift pace, the crowd parting instantly for him despite the curious looks they cast his hooded figure.

"Ace-chan... It's alright now."

Reaching out for the child who had watched everything with uncustomary silence till now, Shakky drew Ace to her side. The boy's eyes were dry, but from the blank look in his face Shakky suspected that it was because he was too shocked to even think of crying. Large dilated eyes turned towards her, and a moment later tears welled up uncontrollably.

"Shakky..."

She cradled the child closer, lifting his small form into her arms as she also set off in the direction of their old friend's home. "Shhh, don't worry, darling, Uncle Ray will take good care of that Nii-chan. And we're going to go get Granny Nyon so that she can make sure he's alright too. Remember that time when you had the flu, and Granny Nyon gave you medicine to make you get better? She'll help that Nii-chan too. So he's going to be okay."

"Nii-chan's gonna be okay?"

Shakky smiled, placing a soft reassuring kiss on the child's cheek. "Of course he is."

* * *

Shanks' vision wavered as he tried to focus it, blinking heavy eyelids that seemed crusted with cement. He felt like he had been hit by Water 7's Sea Train. And right on the other extreme was a throat felt like the Alabastan desert. He coughed, wincing at the grating sound it made.

A cup was held to his lips the very next moment. The red-haired youth gulped down the liquid gratefully, a staying hand stopping him for downing the water too fast. He almost whined with the empty cup was drawn away.

"Wait, I'll get you more water," A voice, coming from the same direction as the cup had, told him in a grousing tone that the young pirate was all too familiar with. It continued, coming from a little further away now as the speaker presumably refilled the cup. An exasperated huff was uttered. "Your body has grown up, but I can see that you're just as reckless as you ever were, you troublesome brat. Just what were you thinking letting your guard down like that? I know I taught you better than to..."

Shanks smiled as he closed his eyes again, turning his head to bury it deeper into the pillow. Master Rayleigh was nagging already, that was always a sure indication that things were alright now. His thoughts were still rather fuzzy, so he couldn't quite recall what had happened to make his body ache all over like this, but with Master Rayleigh taking care of him there was nothing to worry about. The pillow had an unfamiliar crisp woody fragrance, had Crocus-san bought a new kind of soap at the last port? Ah well, it was a nice smell, he thought drowsily.

Oh, but Benn was probably worried though, he hadn't contacted the crew at all since they'd gotten separated last night...

Wait.

…Benn...? But that voice from before had unmistakably belonged to Rayleigh –

The redhead's eyes snapped open and to the side, to be greeted by his old mentor's all-too-familiar raised eyebrow as he held a refilled glass of water. He bolted upright in a bed that was most certainly not the one in the Oro Jackson's infirmary. "MASTER RAYLEIGH!?" His vision swam at the sudden motion, and he sank back down dizzily. A hand came to rest on his shoulder, pressing him down lightly as he tried to sit up again.

"Idiot, don't move too much, your body just finished purging out the poison."

"I... huh?" Shanks paused at that, wracking his memories for what had happened. He'd been checking out the marketplace, gotten hungry and went off to buy some steamed buns... and oh, that kid from yesterday had come running up to him and then...

The kid!

"That kid who was with me, is he alright?"

Rayleigh pushed him down a bit more firmly this time as he tried to sit up again. "He's fine. Just a little shocked, but he wasn't injured. You did well protecting him."

The young captain finally relaxed, sinking back onto the bed. "Good." A part of him, the one that was still a boy seeking his father figure's approval, warmed at the older man's praise.

The door creaked open. Rayleigh turned to speak to someone Shanks couldn't see from his vantage angle.

"Ah, Gloriosa, he's awake."

"Is he now."

Shanks gaped at the tiny old woman who had jumped onto the bed and was currently in the process of shining a small torchlight into his eye. He winced as it hit a sensitive spot, hastily pushing it away. The woman uttered an empathetic harrumph.

"Well, the brat looks perfectly fine to me. Might have a few screws loose in his head though, but that ain't anything to do with the poison."

"Hey!"

Rayleigh stifled a snort. "Thank you, Gloriosa."

He would have risen from his seat, but Gloriosa waved him away. "I can show myself out perfectly fine." She shot an amusedly secretive look at him as she lowered her voice to add, "You might want to let that boy of yours come in, though. He wouldn't stop bugging me since earlier." She couldn't quite hide the maternal smile that touched her lips even as she kept her gruff facade.

Rayleigh chuckled, glancing subtly over at the small figure who was trying rather inexpertly to hide behind the door and peek through the crack, neither of which he was having much success with. "You can come in, Ace."

The boy crept in sheepishly. Shanks looked surprised to see him, but it soon dissolved into a bright smile. "Hey, kiddo. You alright there?"

At his greeting the child immediately ran up, clambering up onto the side of the bed with large eyes fixed on Shanks. "Nii-chan, are you okay?" he asked, half demanding and half uncertain.

Shanks couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle that mop of messy black hair. "Me? Of course I am! It's gonna take a lot more than that to take me down."

The boy seemed reassured by this, matching Shanks' grin.

The red-haired captain stuck out a hand. "So! I'm Shanks. What's your name, kid?"

"Ace!"

"Well Ace you're probably going to be seeing a lot more of me these few days, so shall we be friends?"

The boy's responding smile couldn't have been any brighter.

* * *

Shakky emerged to the taproom to find the smoker from yesterday in a state of restrained agitation.

"Follow me," she said without preamble, knowing that he had come here at the directions of an errand boy she had sent out.

For his part, the first mate didn't question her, immediately following as she led the way upstairs.

"Shakky! It's been so long." Shanks' delighted greeting could be heard as the bar owner pushed open the door. She smiled, remembering the child he had been when she had first met him, staring out the window at the Sabaody landscape with undisguised fascination as she, Roger and Rayleigh had talked.

"You have a visitor, Shanks-chan."

The captain's gaze moved towards the figure behind her, an even wider grin lighting up his face instantly. "Benn!"

The Red Hair Pirates' second-in-command let out an sigh, his shoulders loosening visibly at the sight of his captain's undampened vigor. "Honestly, you..." he grumbled out, but the exasperated lecture was cut off as he finally registered the other presence in the room. He stopped short, slightly taken aback.

"You're Silvers Rayleigh."

The older man gave an enigmatic smile. "That I am. I heard that you were asking for me yesterday."

Benn threw a glance over his shoulder at Shakky who was watching them all with a small amused smile. "I knew that lady had more information than she was letting on, but then Shanks had to get into a scrape right before I could dig further."

"Not my fault! Those Marines came out of nowhere."

"Has he always been such a magnet for trouble?" Benn asked Rayleigh tiredly, but with a smile dancing around the corner of his lips.

The former first mate snorted. "Without fail. Between him and Roger, the two of them seemed determined to give me premature white hairs back in the day."

Shanks considered the older man with a strangely thoughtful expression. "It's fine, it doesn't show," he finally said, eyes twinkling mischievously.

He got a warning rap on the head for his effort, prompting a burst of laughter. "Cheeky brat."

Shanks leaned back on the pillows as his laughter subsided, leaving behind a smile that was still just as bright but softer than before. He cast a look over at his first mate. "Benn."

The older man nodded, understanding the captain's wordless request. "I know. I'll let the guys know that you're alright. They won't mind staying a few more days." His gaze met Rayleigh and Shakky's. "I won't tell them about this place," he said quietly, understanding their preference for secrecy on that account, knowing that it likely had to do with the young boy who stared at him curiously from behind Shakky's legs.

"Our captain can be a handful, but I'm sure you know that better than me." The first mate's lips twitched as said captain uttered an indignant squawk. "I'll leave him in your care for a while longer."

Shakky watched as Benn took as leave with a polite bow, glancing fondly over at the red-haired youth on the bed. "You've found a good first mate, Shanks-chan."

The young captain grinned, and in those eyes no longer lingered that vulnerable fragility that Rayleigh remembered from when they had last parted. They were strong now, secure in the trust that he placed in his crew, and the trust he received in return.

"I know."

* * *

"Shanks-nii-chan, are you really a real pirate?"

Shanks grinned at the boy's enthusiastic question, the child's eyes practically shining.

"Yup, I am. I'm a pirate captain with a crew and a bounty, you know! They call me Red Hair Shanks. I think I look quite cool in my bounty poster," he told the boy, winking.

"When I grow up I wanna be a pirate captain! Uncle Ray said that Daddy was a pirate captain too! Nii-chan, did you know Daddy too?"

The question was so simple and delivered with such innocent curiosity, but it made Shanks look at him in surprise and in that moment saw; saw properly for the first time, those glittering dark eyes, that smattering of freckles across his nose, the bouncing curls in jet black hair.

And turned wondering eyes towards Rayleigh, finding all the answer he needed there.

"...Yeah. I did."

Later, when Ace was called downstairs by Shakky to take a bath, Rayleigh sat back down at the bedside. Shanks was quiet as he watched him, waiting for the older man to speak.

"They entrusted him to me, Roger and Rouge both."

"...So Rouge-san, she's gone as well..." Shanks remembered Rouge, with her warm smile and sweet scent and the care she gave both him and Buggy like a mother. It reminded him of the blessing he had had, having been able to receive their love when Ace himself had no chance to.

Rayleigh reached out to ruffle the youth's hair, just as if he was still the same child that trailed after their captain everywhere back in the old days. He gave the young man a squeeze on the shoulder as Shanks looked at him.

"I know how you looked up to Roger," he said gently, "And he saw you as his son as well, you know. Doesn't that make Ace your little brother, in a way? I'm counting on you to protect him too, Shanks. Will you do that?"

Shanks' eyes were serious, the solemnity of a man who knew the value of what he had been trusted with. "Do you even have to ask? Of course I will."

* * *

"Well then, we're off."

"Have a safe voyage, Shanks-chan. We'll be following your adventures in the papers just like we were before."

Shanks grinned at that, already considering in his mind what kind of trouble to stir up next. There were still so many areas of the Grand Line just waiting for them to explore and find the next big adventure. Maybe they should look for a sky island, surely there were more out there than just Skypeia, right? But before he properly set off again there was still one thing left...

His gaze slid to the side, and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

"Hey kiddo, don't look so glum."

Ace just continued looking at the floor, even puffing out his freckled cheeks a little in obvious petulance. Shanks resisted the urge to laugh at the frankly adorable sight as he crouched down in front of the child.

"Come on, cheer up, Ace," he wheedled, putting on a mock pouting face when the boy still refused to look at him. "Can't I get a smiling goodbye? That puffy look of yours is gonna get stuck in my head now." He poked one chubby cheek, deflating it. "And hey, it's not like this is the last time we'll be seeing each other. One of the perks of being captain is that I can order the ship to turn back to visit Sabaody every once in a while, you know."

"Really?" The captain's lips quirked as the child's eyes lit back up, finally turning to meet his.

"You bet on it. I'll bring a souvenir for you next time too."

"Promise?"

Shanks placed his right hand over his heart and Ace quickly did the same, both sporting identical grins. "Upon my life and the Pirate's Code." Playfully, his hand reached out to pinch the boy's cheek, prompting a giggle even as it was swatted away. "I'll see you around then, kiddo."

* * *

Shakky traded a sharp look with Rayleigh, instantly alert at the sound of movement outside. It was late, beyond the bar's usual closing time and they had already dimmed the lights, so it was unlikely to be a customer. The average entertainment-seeker would usually favor the more populated downtown districts, where the pub were open all night, rather than wander out to a quiet area like this. Rayleigh glanced towards the door, and she knew that he was simultaneously sweeping the nearby surroundings with Observation Haki. He frowned. "There are people outside, but the auras are weak. Something is off. I'm going out to check."

Shakky nodded, fingers instinctively going to the pistol she kept at her side at all times. Just in case of a surprise attack, she angled herself so that she wouldn't be initially visible from the open door. Rayleigh stepped outside, and in the next moment he uttered a quiet curse.

"Shakky, come here."

At Rayleigh's call, she quickly followed him, stopping short for a brief moment at the doorway in shock before joining him at the sides of the three fallen figures outside their door. A quick scan of the girls, with their haggard faces and the outline of an unmistakable mark peeking out from under ragged clothes told her all she needed to know.

"Escaped slaves. The commotion from earlier in the evening must have been a breakout." Rayleigh speedily checked the vitals of the three girls. Their breathing was a little strained, the rattled sound of an impending illness, but thankfully each of their pulses were strong.

He carefully lifted the girl closest to him. "Let's get them inside."

They settled two of the girls onto the double bed in their room, placing the third temporarily on the long sofa until they could make more comfortable arrangement.

Rayleigh straightened, heading towards the door. "I'll go fetch Gloriosa." Neither of them had been formally trained in the medical arts, and an extra helping hand would be invaluable, especially when they were unsure how the girls would respond to Rayleigh's presence. The girls had no visible signs of serious physical injury, and where likely unconscious because of plain exhaustion, but it was always good to check to make sure. Shakky busied herself wiping the dirt and soot off the girls with a damp cloth as he left.

A soft creak from behind shifted Shakky's attention to the door, where Ace stood in his pajamas staring at the scene. "Who are they?" the boy asked as he came further into the room, all notions of sleep instantly lost.

She waved him closer, giving him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "We're not sure yet, but they're hurt, so we are going to help them get better. Can you help me get some clean cloths from the cupboard downstairs, Ace? The one behind the bar."

"Okay!"

The boy dashed down the stairs, returning quickly with a bundle of folded tea towels. He sat with her as she worked, watching the girls with serious dark eyes. A little less than a half hour later, Gloriosa returned with Rayleigh, a bag of medicinal supplies in tow as she entered the room. Her customary no-nonsense air lent a sense of calm reassurance to the situation. "How are the girls?"

Shakky shook her head. "All three of them are down with fevers. I believe that it's mostly exhaustion, but there's a possibility that they were given drugs while in captivity. You should be able to make a better judgment than me."

Gloriosa's face was grim. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Ace rubbed his eyes, wondering what had woken him up. Sitting up, he pushed the blankets to pool around his waist as he looked around. As their beds were currently occupied by their visitors since a few days back, Rayleigh having shifted Ace's bed to the sickroom for the third girl, Shakky had laid a few thick blankets on the floor in his room for them to sleep on. A quick glance around the room revealed that he was alone, however. The pile of blankets to his right were folded neatly, clearly not slept in yet. Uncle Ray was probably off somewhere in town, as he did sometimes. Shakky's set was slightly ruffled, so she must have taken a nap but got up again. Maybe she was in the other room, helping Granny Nyon who was staying there with the girls.

But that wasn't what had made him wake up. No, it was... someone was sad?

He peeked out into hallway, seeing light flickering in from the stairs, along with the quiet murmur of conversation. Shakky and Granny Nyon were downstairs, then. But they weren't sad.

Reaching up carefully, he turned the knob to open the door to the bedroom opposite. The door inched open just enough for him to slip through. His eyes struggled to adapt to the dimness of the room. The curtains were drawn across the window, but a tiny sliver of moonlight let him make the fuzzy forms of the two beds side by side. And now that he was closer he could feel it even more, that someone was crying.

His bare feet quiet against the wooden planks, he moved closer to those shaky, uneven breaths, standing on tiptoes to see over the top of the bed. It was the biggest girl, the one who had long green hair the color the mangrove leaves turned when sunlight fell on them. Her eyes were closed still, but hot tears slipped from behind shut lids to drip down onto the pillow. Impulsively, Ace reached out to curl his fingers around her larger ones.

"Don't cry," he whispered. "You're safe now. Shakky and Uncle Ray and Granny Nyon are taking care of you, okay? So you don't have to be sad."

As if lulled by his words, the girl's breathing evened out again, returning to the slow pace of calm sleep.

The light shifted as the door was opened and the two women returned to the room.

"Ace-chan?" Shakky's voice called him, quiet surprise in her tone at his presence. He turned, giving her a bright smile.

"She was sad, but I told her that it's okay," he told her simply, still holding on to the girl's hand.

Hopping lightly onto the edge of the bed, Gloriosa touched the back of her hand to the girl's forehead, uttering a soft note of approval.

"Her fever's broken," the older woman murmured.

Ace yawned, sleepy from being awake at the time that he rarely was, lulled by the gentle 'voice' of the girl as she too fell into deep sleep. He barely registered Shakky bringing the sheets in from the next room, already half asleep by the time he curled back in them.

He dreamed that night of towering trees and warm sunlight, someone else's dreams of a time when happiness had been the only thing they had ever known.

* * *

The first thing Sandersonia saw when she opened her eyes was of a worn wooden ceiling with tiny cracks between the boards that told of a long history. As she watched, a small lizard slipped out from the darkness between the cracks, and sat there waiting for a tasty morsel to pass by.

She stared at the lizard, feeling utterly perplexed and just a bit surreal. A lizard? Why was a lizard there? How strange, she felt as if she hadn't seen a lizard for a very long time. But that surely couldn't be right? The slave quarters had rodents and mices and all kinds of bugs, so something like a lizard... Yet it felt strange, so mundane, such a simple creature like a house lizard walking along the wooden ceiling. Perhaps it was the sunlight filtering in from the side that made it so, sunlight that came through an open window perhaps, that also allowed in a soft sweet breeze. Or was it the wooden ceiling itself, for surely she would have remembered that the slave quarters had a wooden ceiling such as this – no, it had a ceiling of damp stone, didn't it?

The sheets beneath her fingers were smooth, smoother than she remembered feeling for a very long time. The bed felt like she was lying on clouds, after the chill of the stone floor they slept on, warm only because of the proximity with which the slaves were huddled together in those long dark nights. She remembered dreaming sometimes of such a bed, like the one they had had back home... Ah, that must be it, she must be dreaming. And that lizard must be part of the dream as well, like the fleeting memory of running through Amazon Lily's jungles with all its savage beauty.

That would be a nice dream to return to, she thought as she closed her eyes again. Before their slave master woke them up with screams and cracking whips to those who were too slow to respond. But a different scene came into her mind, one of roaring flames and hoarse yells, of crying and running and her sisters' hands in hers, that was a dream yet not a dream because wasn't this a memory, a memory that was her last before waking up to a lizard on a wooden ceiling, because of a monstrous figure of man who had torn open the bars with his bare hands and given them their freedom, because they were at last _free_ –

Her eyes snapped open as she gasped as if breathing for the first time, and wasn't it true because she couldn't remember the last time when she had inhaled air as fresh as this. Her heart thrummed madly in her chest, _alive_ , and she not just saw but felt the sunlight on her bare arms. A small shift of movement drew her attention sideways, to the same direction that the sunlight came from...

And encountered a pair of very large black eyes, staring at her from the bedside. Which after a moment she registered to belong to a small boy with equally dark messy hair and a grin that lit up as she stared back at him.

"You woke up!" he exclaimed, bright eyes filled with a child's innocent delight. Before Sonia could filter it through her still jumbled thoughts, the boy had already left the bed to streak towards the door, throwing it open. "Shakky! She woke up!" he yelled out beyond it.

A moment later the sound of footsteps came closer outside the door (the patter of slippers on wood, how strange, how different from the plush carpet of the master's manor and the cold cement of the slaves' quarters). In the doorway appeared a slim, short-haired woman who smiled kindly at her as she came closer.

"How are you feeling, dear? You've just recovered from a high fever, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were feeling a little tired. Don't worry, you and your sisters are safe with us."

Sonia's gaze slid to her side, only then noticing Marigold asleep beside her, Hancock on a smaller bed next to theirs. Sonia turned back to the unfamiliar woman, questions in her eyes.

The woman smiled, the expression tender. "Your sisters were running fevers as well, but thankfully they're both on the road to recovery. They'll be fine." Her voice was calm and gentle, and even though Sonia had never met her before, she felt that she could trust her. Tears welled to her eyes as she watched her sisters sleep. How long had it been, since they had been able to afford this luxury? They... Could it really be true, that they were finally free?

"I... Thank you." Sonia's words choked in her throat as sobs shook her body. She attempted to stem the tears with one hand pressed against her eyes, but they poured out regardless, four years worth of hopelessness and sorrow. She started a little at the feeling of a small fingers covering her other hand, looking down through glassy eyes to see the boy from before staring up at her.

"Don't be sad," he said, and Sonia wondering if she was imagining having heard those words before, and that warm touch. "I'm Ace. What's your name?"

Name? Name... How long had it been since anyone asked her that? She could even have forgotten it, if not for her sisters remaining by her side.

She brushed away her tears. "Sonia. I'm Sonia."

Ace smiled at her reply, bright and true in a manner that no one in Mariejois had been able to smile, and Sonia felt her heart begin to heal. "Let's be friends!"

She mustered a smile through the tears that still flowed, but perhaps now it was more from joy than pain. "...Okay."

* * *

"Sonia, we're making cookies! Shakky said we can put chocolate chips in them, and color sprinkles!"

The older girl smiled as Ace ran up to her, balancing a plastic mixing bowl half-full of cookie batter on his head. She caught the spatula that toppled out of it before it could fall to the floor. "That's sounds amazing. Mari would like to help too, is that okay?"

"Sure!" He peered curiously at the orange-haired girl behind Sandersonia. They hadn't had chance to properly meet since Marigold and later Hancock had woken up, two days after Sonia. "Hi, I'm Ace!" he let go of one hand to stick it out towards her. Sonia carefully took the mixing bowl from him when it looked in serious danger of teetering over.

Marigold, to her credit, only looked slightly lost as she solemnly shook the boy's hand.

Shakky peeked out from inside the kitchen, a soft smile on her lips as she watched the exchange. "It's good to see you up and about, Mari-chan. Would the two of you like to help with the baking?"

Ducking back into the kitchen, Ace had already made a beeline for the bag of chocolate chips, standing on tiptoes to reach over the counter. As he snatched it up however, his hand bumped into the open bag of flour next to it, accidentally pushing it over. The sight that greeted Sonia and Mari as they entered the room was therefore of a sneezing white-dusted boy who blinked rather confusedly and held out a floury bag of chocolate towards them.

Sonia's mouth twitched up irrepressibly for a moment before she burst out into peals of laughter, placing the mixing bowl that she held on the table so that she could reach out to help sweep off the powder that coated the boy's hair. Ace grinned with equally white teeth and started laughing as well, but only succeeded in breathing in more flour that made him sneeze loudly again.

A quiet giggle from behind made Sonia glance over at her sister. Mari's eyes were unmistakably crinkled with her amusement, and were warm as they met Sonia's with a smile that she had long missed on her younger sister's face. How long had it been, since they had laughed without hesitation like this?

Still smiling, she held one hand out to Ace. "Let's put in the chocolate chips now, shall we?"

The child's smile as his hand clasped hers reminded her again of the sunshine they had lost for so long and now, finally regained.

* * *

"I'll miss him," murmured Shakky as they watched Hachi walk towards the shore, knowing that it would be a while before they saw him again.

The young octopus fishman had come to them that day talking about wanting to join the Sun Pirates, a notorious fishman crew under the captain Fisher Tiger.

Fisher Tiger... They knew of him, of course, the man behind the mass breakout three years ago which had given so many slaves back their freedom, a reckless attack on Mariejois that no man before him had even dreamed of daring. The sisters had spoken of him, about how they considered him their savior. A man of such strength and will, just what was it that drove him to his lengths? Rayleigh had some reservations about how a peace-loving individual like Hachi would fit into that crew. A crew which spelled out ideals and hope, where all would be equal. There were those who would be fueled by righteousness, but also those fueled by resentment. Rayleigh knew too well that these were emotions that could too easily mix, sometimes even corrupt, and worried what it might mean for the man himself and those who followed him.

"It was a decision he made for himself," Rayleigh acknowledged quietly, eyes following the youth who walked with a firm gait and straightly-held shoulders. He had grown so much from the tiny child they had first known, now almost fully a man. Over the years the former first mate had become a mentor of sorts to the boy who had once rescued him from the waves, and even though he may not fully approve for this choice, he was proud nonetheless.

Beside them, Ace suddenly sucked in a deep breath, cupping his hands around his mouth. "HACHI! Don't forget our promise!" Ace yelled at his friend's retreating back. "Seven years!"

The octopus fishman turned, all arms held up to wave. "Nyuu, I'll see you then, Ace!"

"I'll hold you to that!" The dark-haired boy returned as he resumed his vigorous waving until the fishman youth was out of sight.

"What was that about, Ace-chan?" Shakky questioned curiously, a fond smile touching her lips at the sight.

Ace just grinned at her, spinning on his heel cheerfully to go back in. "Secret."

Seven years was a long time, but for them, it was a promise. A promise of a new beginning. Because in seven years' time, he would be seventeen, and it was then that he had decided he would set sail.

" _Join my crew, Hachi."_

* * *

Thatch yawned, taking another swig of beer to stifle his boredom. Marco was late, dammit! And especially after he had told Thatch earlier to meet him at this bar, not go wandering around because they needed to leave soon, not to stir up trouble because Oyaji wouldn't like it, yada yada. And now the stupid chicken was late, while Thatch drowned in boredom. What was the use of being at a bustling port like Sabaody if one couldn't go around and have some fun, at least hit a few clubs or something. Thatch made a resolution to nag at Marco the whole way back just as revenge.

He was so bored that the slight commotion of raised voices drew his attention towards the center of the taproom, just in time to see a fully-grown burly man get kicked across the room but a kid less than half his size. Thatch raised an eyebrow as he drained the last of his beer and turned around properly to watch. Looks like things were finally getting interesting. And the best part was that he hadn't stirred up any of it himself, so Marco had no reason to gripe.

He delightedly observed as the kid (feisty one, that, with a fire in his eyes that Thatch wholly approved of) speedily took down about three more thugs that tried to tackle him, but decided to step in when the whole group of them started to gang up on the boy. He clapped his hands as he moved towards the center, smiling in a deceptively benign manner.

"Now, now, gentlemen, let's not resort to violence, shall we? Especially not towards children."

He knew without looking that the thugs weren't the only ones unhappy about his unsolicited interference. The boy was giving him a rather impatient glare, which he returned with an amused look. The kid crossed his arms in response. "I don't need your help."

Thatch grinned. That stubborn streak was too cute. Especially coming from a kid that was at most, what, ten? "I know you don't, kid, but the barkeeper looks like he's about to faint if you keep breaking his chairs."

"What's it to you, huh?" One of the scruffy pirates scowled, looking even more ridiculous with the red sandal-print imprinted on his forehead. He spat. "Mind your own business, ya ponce."

The brown-haired commander tutted, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "That's not very nice."

The thugs sneered, laughing obnoxiously. "Just listen to him. 'That's not very nice', he says. Why don't you go complain to mummy, stuuupid."

Thatch sighed. "Really, that's the best you can come up with? I really expected too much."

A couple of the pirates had been quiet so far, staring at him as if trying to place why he looked familiar. Thatch saw the blood drain out of one man's face all of the sudden, and knew that he had hit on the answer and absolutely didn't like it. The man, to his credit, spoke up hurriedly, though with a faint stutter. "B-Boss? Isn't that guy from the Whitebeard Pirates? I've seen his face on the posters..."

Thatch's smile returned full-blown to his face, with a slightly sharper edge and made a few more faces pale. "Oh, you recognize me? How kind. The name's Thatch. Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"A Whitebeard commander! B-Boss..." Several pairs of eyes turned worriedly to burly man in the center, revealing him to be their leader. Their boss however took a large gulp of ale and stormed right up to stand nose to nose with Thatch. The brunette's nose wrinkled at the stench of alcohol on his breath. Yellowed teeth were pulled back in a feral sneer that matched bloodshot eyes.

"Hmph, so what!? Whitebeard's scum just like Roger," the drunk man spat brazenly, fueled by the alcohol burning through his veins.

A second later, the man smashed across the room right into a table, breaking it into splintered halves. A few moments of stunned silence (and the barkeeper's muffled wailing) signaled that the man wasn't about to get up again anytime soon.

"Whoops. I used Haki without thinking." The brunette tapped his chin with a finger, but not seeming at all contrite despite his tone. The inky black covering his fist had receded as fast as it had appeared.

"Boss! Why, you little-!" The fallen man's comrades were advancing on them angrily, but there was wariness in their motions as well, the recognition of an opponent not to be trifled with.

Thatch cracked his knuckles, his previous flare of anger now replaced by a kind of savage glee at the prospect of a fight. These hooligans weren't even worthy of him unsheathing his swords, but it would be a nice warm-up nonetheless. "Right, so who's next?"

A strong arm caught him firmly across the chest as he started forward, locking him in place. He sighed and let his stance relax, already knowing who it was. "For the record, I didn't start it. And you're _late_."

The surrounding men's eyes, however, were popping out of their heads at the sight of the new arrival. "M-M-Marco the Phoenix!"

"Oh come on, that's not fair! Why do they recognize you straight away?" Thatch complained. "I even had to _introduce_ myself! Dammit, I need to catch up."

The First Division Commander ignored all of that, fixing his unimpressed stare on his comrade. "You idiot. What are you doing kicking up a commotion, yoi? I told you we don't want the Marines coming down on our heads here."

Thatch dusted his hands off as Marco deemed it reasonable to let him go, seeing no movement from Thatch to continue the fight. "That bastard insulted Oyaji," he commented, nodding towards the unconscious leader of the gang. "But I got him back good, so it's fine."

Hooded eyes narrowed further for a brief moment at the information. The remaining crooks gulped and took an involuntary step backwards. The blond barely spared them a glance. "Oyaji wouldn't want us to waste our time with these kind of trash. Go pay the poor barkeeper for the damages and let's go, yoi."

Thatch gave him a casual salute. "Got it." The barkeeper still seemed too shell-shocked to respond coherently, so he dropped a decently sized pouch of beri on the bar and turned to follow Marco out of door. But before then, there was one additional item he wanted to pick up first.

* * *

Ace blinked as he was hoisted up effortlessly by an arm hooked around his waist. "H-Hey!" he protested, not too keen on being carried like a sack of flour. The Whitebeard commander, however, cheerfully ignored it.

"I'm Thatch, what's your name?" When the boy only gave him a suspicious silence in return, the older man pouted. "Come on, it's polite to return the greeting when someone introduces himself."

The boy gave him a long considering look before relenting. "I'm Ace."

"Nice to meet you!" They reached the door, where the other Whitebeard commander was waiting with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, Marco, this is Ace!"

His first response was a sigh. "Why are you bringing a kid along, yoi?" the blond man asked his kidnapper in an exasperated tone that rather matched Ace's feelings at the moment. Thatch, for his part, was completely unfazed.

"He's interesting! I wanna talk to him. He took down a few of those guys all on his own, you know. He's got spunk, I bet the old man would like him."

Ash gray eyes, bright and sharp even in their half-hooded state, turned to him contemplatively. Ace returned the perusal without flinching and was rewarded with a small flicker of what looked like approval.

"Still, we don't usually make a point of bringing children aboard, yoi."

"Nah, relax, I'm not planning on getting him to join the crew. Not yet anyway."

"Hey!" Frustrated at the conversation going on above his head and the apparent zero interest they seemed to be giving to his struggling, Ace attempted to drive a knee into his captor's midriff, but... Ow, what the hell was this guy's abs made of!?

The brunette just grinned down at him, utterly unaffected by the would-be attack. "Come on, humor me for a while, kid. We'll even bring you home later. I'm not gonna actually kidnap you." Ace huffed. Could have fooled him. But well, it really didn't seem like the two men meant him any harm.

"...Fine."

"That's the spirit!"

At Thatch's wide smile, Ace decided to go ahead and ask about something that he had been itching to do since earlier. "That guy just now said you two are from the Whitebeard Pirates?"

"Oh, you know of us, kid?" Thatch puffed up his chest proudly.

Honestly, who didn't know of the Whitebeards? They had to be the second-most famous pirate crew of all time, second only after the Pirate King's own. And it was well known that Whitebeard one of the few men who had been able to stand toe to toe with Roger. Ace had heard most of his stories on his father's old rival firsthand from Rayleigh, his uncle narrating both clashes and parties alike with note of respect in his voice and a sharp glint of competitiveness in his eyes.

"Can you tell me more about your captain?" Ace couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Oyaji? What, you fancy becoming part of a crew?" the brunette commander teased.

"Not really," Ace deadpanned back.

The older man pouted again. "No?"

"I... Well, I've just heard a lot about him, and I wondered if it was true. They call him the strongest man in the world, don't they? Is he really that scary?"

The two man shared a glance over his head.

This time it was Marco who spoke, in a quiet, serious voice. "To some he may seem that way; he certainly can be merciless in a fight, in particular to those who dare to harm his crew. But at the same time, he has the biggest heart of anyone that I have met. In my eyes, there is no man more worthy of respect. He took us, who had no home to return to, and gave us a family. We call him our father because he calls us his sons. Our backgrounds don't matter to him; he will accept anyone who wishes it."

"Everyone? What if it was Roger's son? They were rivals, weren't they?" There was a note of challenge in Ace's words, his gaze sharp.

"Regardless of who they were born to, every person is a son or daughter of the sea. That is what our captain would say," Marco said calmly. "Everyone has the same right as anyone else – to sail freely, to live their life, to become who they want to become, no matter their past or origins. That is what we learned from him."

"I'd like to meet your Oyaji someday."

The blond smiled. "He'd like that."

* * *

Thatch watched as Sabaody slowly shrank into the distance as their boat left the shore. He turned to give his companion an evaluating look. "Hey Marco, that kid Ace, do you think he really... I mean, there _have_ been rumors that Dark King has been spotted around these parts, not to mention the resemblance they have..."

The responding long pause from Marco was all the answer he needed. After a while, the phoenix let out a breath. "Regardless, it's not our place to probe. And even if he is Roger's son, it's still up to him what path he chooses."

"As usual, you're right." Thatch folded his arms behind his head. "Well either way I hope he does come meet Oyaji in the future. The old man really will like him, don't you think?"

Marco thought of glittering dark eyes, staring at them unwaveringly with courage and a resolution of his own despite that young age.

"I'm sure he will."

* * *

"Shanks!"

"Hey, kid!" The redheaded captain grinned widely as he caught the boy in a friendly wrestle. "How's my favorite fire-eater doing?"

The grin was matched exactly on Ace's face as he retaliated with equal fervor.

Rayleigh watched both his boys fondly over the rim of his glass. Shanks' visits never failed to make Ace light up, and if he himself was in a congenial mode Rayleigh could admit that he enjoyed the former apprentices' presence as well. Not aloud, of course. No need to feed the boy's ego. He nodded at Benn as the first mate entered the room as well, waving for the younger man to take a seat at the bar beside him and pouring him a measure of scotch when he did so.

After a moment, Shanks dropped down on one of the empty seats, Ace still resolutely trying to squirm free from his trapped position against Shanks' chest.

Rayleigh eyed his former apprentice as Shakky brought out some snacks. "So what brings you here today? Rare to see you leave the New World these days. Heard something about you wanting to go against Whitebeard."

"Well those rumors are not... entirely untrue," Shanks replied with a wholly too innocent expression that Rayleigh long learned to associate with excessive worry on his part. "But that's still a matter for the future. We're thinking of taking a bit of a break right now, so we're heading out to East Blue for a bit. I thought I'd drop by to visit on the way."

"East Blue, huh…" Ace looked wistful, no doubt dreaming of adventure. He'd never left Sabaody after all, but heard many stories from both Rayleigh and Shanks.

The red-haired captain chuckled at the boy's expression. "Actually, part of the reason I'm here today is to ask if Ace would like to go with me."

"Shanks…" Rayleigh frowned, but Shanks return it with a disarming smile.

"Come on, Master Rayleigh! East Blue is as harmless as you can get, and it'll do good for Ace to see the world a little!"

Rayleigh, for all that he touted having a steel heart, was not immune to his former apprentice's charm. Particularly not that pair of wide puppy eyes that honestly should look ridiculous on a man past the age of twenty, yet somehow didn't. When Ace turned the very same pleading look at him as well, he really stood no chance at all. His brow furrowed unconsciously in acknowledgment of that fact as he sighed and gave in. "…Fine. I'll be counting on you, Benn," he acquiesced, sharing a look with the first mate.

Shanks pouted. "Why not me?"

Benn grinned around his cigarette. "Don't worry, Rayleigh-san. I'll keep the both of them in line."

"Hey!"

The former first mate still wondered if this course of action was entirely wise, but the matchless brightness in Ace's eyes was strong enough to burn away any regret, even if it couldn't dispel the worry. "Is that a yes? That's a yes, right!?" The boy sprung off Shanks' lap in a smooth leap. "I'll go pack then!"

Rayleigh watched the boy dash upstairs. "He's grown up."

Shanks grinned, leaning against the bar. "That he has. Time sure goes by fast."

The blond chuckled, taking a sip of brandy. "You're one to talk. I can still remember you as a snot-nosed brat screaming that you'll beat me."

"I bet I could beat you now," his former apprentice taunted playfully. "Old man."

Rayleigh deemed that reply worthy only of a snort. "You wish."

The redhead didn't look particularly put out by that quick dismissal of his abilities, stretching his arms behind his head. "But damn, it's been more than ten years already, huh. Since Captain..."

The blond first mate slid a sideways look at the youth. Even though he was now a captain in his own right, in some ways Shanks was still the small child who had looked at him and Roger with worshipful eyes, who had been devastated by the news of Roger's illness and the decision to disband. Still, ten years... They'd all changed in that time. And Shanks...

"He'd be proud of you. I am too."

Shanks looked genuinely startled at the rare bit of praise from Rayleigh. It was such a simple statement, yet to the young captain, it was worth more than any treasure the world could offer.

"I... Thank you, Master Rayleigh. For everything."

Rayleigh cleared his throat rather uncomfortably. "Troublesome brat."

His protege's lips quirked, all too familiar with the man's gruff awkwardness when it came to being honest with his feelings. How many times had he seen Rayleigh wait by the injured captain's side until he woke up, for hours or days even, only to deliver a scathing lecture when he did? Shanks himself remembered many times, when the first memory upon opening his eyes was the first mate's unguarded expression of mingled worry and relief, and that had always made the scolding that followed much more bearable.

Ace barreled back down the stairs just as fast as he had went up it, carrying a duffel bag stuffed with a mishmash of items. He skidded to a stop in front of Shanks, two differently-colored socks and a candy bar slipping out from the top of the bag. "I'm ready!"

Shanks grinned, ruffling the boy's messy hair. "That's the way! The fastest pirate gets the treasure, you know. Now don't forget to say bye to Shakky and Master Rayleigh."

Shakky crouched down to give the child a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Take care, Ace-chan. I'm sure you'll have lots of stories to tell us when you get back."

Rayleigh returned Ace's hug, smiling warmly. "Listen to Shanks and Benn. And have fun."

"We're off then." Shanks grinned, pushing back the brim of his hat as he nudged the younger boy. "Race you to the ship, Ace! Last one there is a White Walkie!"

"Hey! No fair, wait for me! And what's a White Walkie?" Ace yelled, sprinting after the laughing captain.

The remaining occupants of the room chuckled at the sight. "I take back my previous statement," Rayleigh commented with a resigned tone of fond exasperation. "I don't think Shanks has grown up at all."

* * *

The house was almost mind-numbingly quiet without Ace's presence. Shakky looked amused as Rayleigh tried to read the paper for the third time that morning. She wasn't quite sure whether he was simply so bored as to want to keep rereading it, or so distracted that he hadn't been able to take anything in. Either way, it was clear that the man was missing their little firecracker a lot more than his expression let on. She did too, of course, but she had the bar to run in the evenings and the occasional client looking for her expertise as one of Sabaody's best information brokers.

Rayleigh, however...

"I need to get a hobby," Rayleigh's voice muttered from somewhere in the depths of the newspaper, echoing her thoughts without prompting.

Chuckling quietly, Shakky decided to take pity on the man, rummaging around behind the bar for a handwritten flyer that an old acquaintance of hers had passed her a few days ago. Finding it, she dropped it in front of her partner, who picked it up with a curious look. "How about learning how to coat a ship?"

* * *

Shanks gave the barmaid his most charming smile, hoping it would allay her obvious tension. They were hoping to stay for a fair bit in this place after all, and it wouldn't be comfortable for any of them if the townsfolk were terrified.

The barmaid's lips curved a tiny bit in response to his smile, and Shanks' grin widened in encouragement. He had been right, she would definitely be even prettier with a smile on her face. Yup, they were definitely staying. Her eyes remained guarded with a tinge that was clearly worry however, and Shanks wondered at that. Had there been a bad experience with pirates in the past? Or did they simply not see many around these parts?

"Lovely weather we've been having lately." ('But not as lovely as you, my dear.' Nope, probably a bit too much for a first meeting. He wanted her to relax, after all.)

The barmaid busied herself with refilling his tankard. "That's true. It's been quite a nice change from the rain we had last week."

"Really? I must be lucky then." (Definitely lucky.)

The young woman smiled politely. "I suppose so," she demurred in a perfectly neutral reply.

Shanks' eyes twinkled. Two could play at this game. "Oh, I'm definitely lucky. Good weather, good ale, and beautiful company, what more could a man want?"

In her credit, the barmaid returned it with a still-poised smile and only slightly heightened color. "I daresay you'll want to get back to drinking with your crewmates, then, Captain-san. Don't let me hold you back."

Oooh, claws. Shanks grinned around the rim of his tankard.

But he was distracted from the replying by a slight commotion near the door. His gaze reflexively snapped over just in time to see a flash of dark hair slipping through it, at a low height was certainly not one of his crew members. He didn't need Benn's extremely telepathic eyebrow raise to be able to guess what was going on, uttering a few choice words under his breath. For goodness sake, he had told Ace to stay on the ship! Yasopp made a swipe to grab the boy and hustle him back out of the building but missed, and crashed headfirst into Lucky Roo for his effort, which sent the rotund man bowling over several other unfortunate crewmates. A few other men, realizing the situation, attempted to help, but Ace dodged every single one of them nimbly. Rayleigh had clearly taught him well, Shanks thought with mixed pride and frustration. He had considerably less success escaping Shanks himself though, and grumbled wrathfully as he failed to squirm out of the captain's arm lock, legs kicking ineffectually in the air.

In the midst of the chaos, Shanks heard the barmaid utter a quiet but distinctly horrified gasp which made his head swivel back towards her. And came face to face with not one but two pairs of dark eyes.

Pirate and barmaid stared silently at each other, each with a young boy held protectively in their arms. The woman's face had turned ashen but a bit of color returned to her cheeks as she gazed with perplexity at Ace. The boy she was holding, equally dark-haired but perhaps a few years younger than Ace, stared at all of them with unabashed fascination.

Ah, so the reason for her worry before must have been for this child. He could understand that she would have been reluctant to expose her son to potentially dangerous pirates. And from the situation, he was just as much of a troublemaker as their Ace.

The black-haired boy clearly had no such qualms for his own self-preservation. "Hi, I'm Luffy!" he chirped, a big smile directed at Ace. "Let's be friends!"

Quickly overcoming his initial surprise, Ace grinned back just as widely. "Okay! I'm Ace."

Luffy was already pouting at his caretaker even before Ace finished introducing himself. "Makino~" he whined, "I wanna play with Ace~"

The crease hadn't vanished from the pretty barmaid – Makino – 's forehead, clearly still a little reluctant to let the boy go.

"I swear that we mean no harm," Shanks told her seriously.

"Shanks, let me down..." Ace complained, swinging his legs.

The red-haired captain poked him on the side, heedless of the boy's ticklish shrieks. "As for _you_ , what did I say about staying on the ship?"

Ace swatted his hand away, keeping an eye on it warily in case it resumed the attack. "It was _boring_. And Doc fell asleep. So I sneaked out."

"That is direct insubordination, mister. I gave you Captain's Orders."

The boy crossed his arms stubbornly. "You didn't _say_ they were Captain's Orders."

"I am the captain, and therefore all orders I give are Captain's Orders," Shank retaliated with flawless logic and another ruthless poke to the side. "So-"

"Accceeee~"

The squabbling pair paused to look down at the large pair of eyes staring up at them. Luffy beamed as they noticed him. "Let's play!"

Shanks couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up at the child's irrepressible enthusiasm. Grinning widely, he leaned down to extend a hand towards the small boy. "Hiya, you're Luffy, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Shanks."

The boy shook it without hesitation. Definitely a good start.

Shanks leveled a firm stare at Ace, who was looking increasingly impatient to be finally placed back on his feet. "Stay in this room."

"Fine, fine. I got it. Now can you _please_ put me down?"

"I'll watch over them, Okashira." Yasopp winked as he placed a hand on each of the boys' head and steered them aside. "My son is about your age, you know! His name is Usopp, and he's going to be a great sharpshooter just like his dad! You see, when he was just three he was..."

A soft chuckle from the bar owner made Shanks glance over at her furtively. She was looking a lot more relaxed now, the tension mostly eased from her shoulders. As if sensing his regard, she looked over as well, and their eyes met before Shanks could pull his away. He smiled sheepishly at her, holding out his hand. "I didn't get to introduce myself properly earlier. I'm Shanks."

After a brief moment she took it. "Makino. Nice to meet you, Captain-san."

"'Shanks'," he insisted.

"Captain-san." Scratch what he previously thought, she was absolutely stunning when she smiled, even when she was being stubborn.

And glancing over at Ace, it was clear that none of them were planning on leaving anytime soon.

* * *

Shanks lounged casually against the bar, simply looking amused at the stubborn glare the child was sending him. On a face still round with baby fat, it failed completely to produce the intended effect. The captain shook his head resolutely, a grin toying about his mouth. "No go, Anchor. You're too young."

In response Luffy pointed mutinously at the boy next to him. "But Ace gets to sail with you!" Well. The kid drove some tough points, that had to be said.

The boy in question crossed his arms. "Oi, I'm three years older than you, brat."

Shanks clapped his hand together with the air of one who had achieved an epiphany. "Right then, Ace will stay behind too!"

"EHHHH?"

The outraged cries from both children only made Shanks trade a laughing glance with Makino behind the bar, expertly tuning out all subsequent protests by the childish action of clapping his hands over his ears. "Nanananana I can't hear you!"

"Stingy!" Ace complained loudly, crossing his arms in a stance that he had probably copied from Rayleigh himself.

Luffy matched it, adding two cents of his own. "Meanie!"

"Idiot Shanks!"

"Stuuupid!"

"Baldy."

"Fatty."

"White Walkie."

"Eh, Ace, what's a White Walkie?"

"I haven't seen one before either, but Shanks says it's a furry hippo that's so lazy that it doesn't want to stand properly."

"Ehhh... Shanks, I wanna see a White Walkie!"

"Tough luck, anchor, you have to go to the Grand Line yourself for that!" the captain yelled back across the room.

"Meanie!"

"I~ can't~ hear~ you~!"

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Benn's voice held an amused tinge as he glanced over at his captain. "You were planning to leave Ace here ever since you found out about Luffy."

Shanks uncovered his ears with a chuckle. "Caught me out as always. I was thinking about how Ace doesn't have many friends his age. From what I've seen, Luffy's the same. It'd be nice if they could be friends."

As much as he and Buggy had fought, he couldn't imagine life on the Oro Jackson without the other boy. They had been each others' best friend and worst enemy all in one.

"Shanks is a stingy White Walkie!"

The captain's eyes twinkled. "See, they're bonding already."

* * *

"What's this place, there's trash everywhere..." Ace idly toed a broken wooden sword half hidden under a pile of torn furniture.

"It's fun, isn't it! But it kinda stinks..." Luffy wrinkled his nose.

"Well... It does look like an interesting place to explore. Come on, Luffy, since that stupid Shanks won't bring us with him, we'll find our own adventure!"

The day's adventure, as it turned out, had the form of a blond boy hauling a stolen bag of jewelry up a large tree. Said boy almost had a heart attack when he looked up to see two pairs of curious black eyes staring at him as he reached the top.

The younger of the duo beamed, eyes sparkling with barely contained exuberance. "Hiya, I'm Luffy and this is Ace! Let's be friends!"

"You want to be a pirate, don't you? Us too." The older of the duo, a freckled boy with clear yet serious eyes, extended his hand. "Like the brat said, I'm Ace."

"...Sabo." After a long moment of staring he finally took the other's hand and found it eagerly pumped up and down.

And that was the start of a beautiful new friendship.

* * *

Shanks blinked. He had left two boys when he set sail a little less than one month ago, and they had somehow turned into three while he had been away. "This is Sabo!" Luffy pronounced with his customary enthusiastic glee.

On the other side of the new boy, Ace was less visibly excited but Shanks could see from the brightness in his eyes that the three boys had become good friends. Well then, if the pair had accepted him into their ranks, Shanks would gladly do the same.

The red-haired captain smiled warmly at the blond boy. "It's nice to meet you, Sabo. I'm Shanks."

The blond boy returned the smile as he shook the captain's hand, revealing a wide grin with a single tooth missing. "Nice to meet you too!"

* * *

It was a beautifully sunny and warm afternoon, but a certain two boys were holed up in a corner of Makino's bar, pouring over the rough map Sabo had drawn of the Town. Shanks had left for another voyage three days ago, and they were getting bored. Time to plot up some mischief.

"I heard this shop here serves great ramen," Sabo commented, tapping one spot with the butt of his pencil.

Ace grinned. "Ramen sounds good. So, the usual eat-and-run?"

"It's a bit more of a fancy establishment than where we've been before, they might not be willing to serve a bunch of kids. Not to mention we're getting a little too well-known now. We're going to have to go in with a disguise." The blond boy scribbled down a note on a spare piece of paper.

"I nicked a cloak from Benn's cupboard before they left," Ace contributed unabashedly. "It has a hood and everything."

"Perfect." The smirk on Sabo's face matched his friend's as he added 'cloak' to the notes.

"Say, where's Luffy?" Ace asked suddenly at the conspicuous absence of a human black-hole demanding that they go eat there right away.

Sabo shrugged. "Maybe he went down to the docks?"

The answer came just as they questioned it, in the form of a hell-raising yelp from outside.

"Geh! Jii-chan! Heeeelp, Ace, Sabo!"

The two older boys glanced up as the youngest streaked into the room like the devil itself was on his heels. "Huh?"

The devil presented himself a moment later, a looming figure silhouetted against the doorway. "Luffy~ Your grandpa is here to see you~"

The two boys traded a single look, grabbed Luffy and ran for the hills.

* * *

"So what if they have more people!? Why didn't you fight back!? You're not a man, and not a pirate either!"

Shanks placed his hat back on his head as he gave the angry child a wry smile, reaching out to catch his hand as Luffy made to storm away.

"Aww come on, don't go, Luffy. It's just–"

Shanks' jaw, along with everyone else's, dropped open as the child's arm stretched out from where the red-haired captain held it. "Wha-"

"What the heck!?" Ace and Sabo shared an incredulous look, then turned back to stare at Luffy who looked just as flabbergasted by the development.

A possibility presenting itself to their minds, several of the Red Hair Pirates made an immediate beeline for the small chest they had left on the bar. Lucky Roo was the first to reach, wrenching it open to find... nothing.

"The Fruit's gone!"

Luffy stared at their dumbstruck expressions, still not comprehending the situation. "Wasn't that dessert? It tasted kinda bad though..."

"You idiiiiiot!"

* * *

"Rubber, huh..." Sabo murmured with an interested gleam in his eyes as he tugged at Luffy's cheek at regular intervals, fascinated with how it stretched and reshaped. "I've read a lot about Devil Fruits, but this is the first time I've actually come across one. I believe this is one of the Paramecia types."

Ace, not fueled by the same intellectual curiosity, was rather more skeptical. "What can rubber do? Seems kinda useless to me."

Luffy pouted. "I'll make it cool!"

Ace stretched out his other cheek teasingly. "Good luck with that. You know, if I'm going to eat a Devil Fruit, I'll make sure it's something strong. Like a Logia."

"Yes, definitely one of the elementals," Sabo agreed. "Or maybe a Zoan, some of those are cool. I think I'd like to be able to fly."

"I'll be able to fly too," Luffy interjected stubbornly. "I'll be like that...that...rubber-flying-stone-thingy that Yasopp showed us-"

"A slingshot," Sabo supplied helpfully.

"And my punch will be strong like pistol!"

"Now that I have to see," Ace laughed. "I'll wait for it, Luffy! So you better actually make it work."

"I will! Then I'll beat both of you!"

"Ah but by that time we'll both be stronger too, won't we Sabo?"

The blond boy's grin matched Ace's as he playfully shoved the younger boy. "That's right, you're going to have to work hard, Luffy! We're not going to lose!"

"Shishishi, I'm not gonna lose either!"

* * *

"Can I tell you a secret? Uncle Ray said not to tell anyone, but I trust you guys."

Ace's heart thumped loudly in his chest as the two other boys turned to look at him, patiently trusting him to continue. He knew that people had mixed reactions to this – there were those, like Shanks and Crocus-san who they had met at the Twin Capes lighthouse, who accepted it warmly and without judgment; but there were also those, like the pirates down in those random bars at Sabaody, who spat on the very idea of his existence.

He took in a deep breath. "My full name is Gol D. Ace." The words left his lips easily, but his eyes watched the pair's reactions carefully, more nervous than he would have liked to let on. As expected, realization dawned first on Sabo's face, Luffy just tilting his head to one side in curious bemusement.

"'Gol D.'?" Sabo echoed. "Wait, does that mean...?"

"That's right. My father was the Pirate King."

At that piece of clarification, Luffy's eyes first widened, then started to shine. "REALLY!? The Pirate King? That's so cool!"

Ace finally relaxed fully, a smile coming to his lips at Luffy's obvious delight. He traded a glance with Sabo, who sent him a grin that clearly read 'did you really think we would react any way else? Idiiiiot.'.

Turning a bit, Ace grabbed the bottle that he had been hiding behind him until then, placing it with a quiet thump on the tree stump they sat next to. The two other boys looked at it with interest.

"Ace, is that alcohol?"

The freckled boy grinned unrepentantly. "I nicked it from the ship. Shanks won't miss just one bottle." He popped it open just like he had seen the pirates do so many times, pouring it out into the three shallow cups he had brought. "Hey guys, did you know, if we exchange drinks we can become brothers."

Luffy's eyes gleamed. "Brothers?"

" _Your father and I, we exchanged drinks."_

" _Exchanged drinks?"_

 _Rayleigh's eyes glittered like the lamplight reflecting off the glass of whiskey in his hand. "There's a old tradition, that says by sharing drinks, men can become brothers." He tipped the amber liquid down in one shot._

" _So Uncle Ray and Dad are brothers?"_

 _The older man had smiled, full of nostalgia and burning fire._

"Brothers for life, and even in death." Ace repeated the words Rayleigh had told him, knowing that the other two were hanging on to every word. "It's a bond that cannot break even if we're apart. No matter how far we go, it's something that will keep us together."

"Brothers... forever. I like it." Sabo grinned, taking up one cup. Luffy took the remaining one as Ace lifted his up, and they all drank with hearts already bonded, united in their dreams of freedom.

"From now on, we're brothers."

* * *

"SHANKS!"

Luffy's wails were enough indication that something was very, very wrong, even if the unnatural reddish tinge the water around the two faraway figures was turning hadn't been.

A splash drew everyone's attention to where Benn had dived into the sea without hesitation. A moment later, Yasopp followed suit, but not before yelling out an order to get the doctor.

Doc appeared at the top of the gangplank just as Benn returned with their captain in tow, the doctor shouting an order down for two helpers to come assist him before disappearing back into the ship to ready the infirmary. There was a scramble from the assembled pirates to obey this, the first two who reached the gangplank being given the job. The town's doctor hurried up as well to offer any additional help or supplies that may be required.

Shanks' face was so pale as Benn hoisted him up to shore into Lucky Roo's waiting arms, the contrast to his red hair making him look even frailer. His shirt was stained with blood, seawater running red as it dripped down. Ace just caught sight of a torn sleeve where an arm should have been before the rotund man headed quickly to the infirmary where the doctor was waiting. The first mate's eyes followed them, clear in his desire to follow on their tail, but first he had a crew to organize.

"Makino," he called, voice quiet and strained with his tension. "Can the men go to your bar for now? It's best to leave Doc space to work."

Yasopp had handed Luffy to Makino, the sobbing child instantly latching onto her as she tightened her embrace around him. Sabo stood to her side, staring up at Luffy worriedly. "Of course."

All this while, Ace stood rooted in the same place without moving an inch, even as the Red Hair Pirates bustled around in organized chaos. He felt hot and cold all at once, unable to tear his eyes off the watery bloodstains that dotted a line over the ground and up the gangplank.

A hand on his head made him finally turn his gaze away to meet Benn's tired eyes. There were creases around them, revealing his own worry. It almost seemed as if he had aged ten years in the last few minutes. "The captain's strong. He'll be fine."

But he sounded a little like he was trying to convince himself as well, eyes far away as they stared up at the ship. Ace reached up to hold the man's larger hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

Benn looked down at him with a brief surprised expression before it turned into a wry smile. "He'd knock us on the head for worrying like this, won't he? Come on, let's go to Makino's bar to wait."

* * *

"Crybaby," Ace teased, playfully tugging down the floppy brim of the straw hat the younger boy held over his head like a lifeline. Tears fell freely under the shaded brim as Luffy hiccuped. The two older brothers shared a fond grin over his head. "Hey Luffy. I see you made a promise with Shanks, so how about we make a promise too? The three of us."

That got the boy's attention, Luffy finally looking up, reigning in his sobs with a loud sniffle. "A promise?"

"You told Shanks that you're going to become the Pirate King, didn't you? But you know what, that's my dream too. So that makes us rivals, Luffy! You've got a long way to go, I won't acknowledge you as my rival if you're still a crybaby then, you know!"

"I-I know!" The strength returned to the small boy's voice as he stifled his tears to stare squarely back at Ace's confident smile. "I'm gonna become stronger than you, Ace! I won't lose to you anymore! A-Ace, Sabo... I'm... I'm going to become the Pirate King!"

"Try it, Luffy! I look forward to it!"

Luffy yelped as the older boy teasing pushed the over-large straw hat back down to cover his eyes.

"You're gonna have to grow into that hat first, Luffy," Sabo added with a grin.

"I will!"

Ace looked at his brothers in turn, eyes glittering like the sunlight on the sea behind them. "Hey Luffy, Sabo. We'll set sail on our seventeenth birthdays, and meet again, out at sea." He held out a fist, and Sabo brought his up to knock against it, both boys turning to look expectantly at Luffy.

The youngest's tears started flowing again as he also held up his hand. "It's a promise!"

"Well then," Ace grinned as they bumped fists together, Luffy scrubbing away his tears to match their smiles. "Let's meet again, at the top!"

* * *

Jinbe sat down quietly on the deck, next to Hachi who sat cross-legged with their crew's littlest guest leaning against him. Koala was dozing with her head resting against the octopus fishman's leg, feet curled up underneath her. In that position, she looked even more fragile and tiny that she usually was already. The younger fishman inclined his head respectfully in greeting, which Jinbe returned.

He gave Hachi a considering look through the corner of his eye. The younger fishman was often simple-minded, but there were certain things about him that made him seem different from the rest, and perhaps he held some of the answers that Jinbe sought.

"I've noticed that you're very comfortable taking care of Koala, and because of that she is relaxed around you as well. The rest of us try our best, but we still don't quite know how to go about it."

"Nyuu, that's because of a boy who I used to play together with when I was a younger." Hachi looked at the sleeping girl, and remembered a very different yet very similar child. "We've known each other ever since he was just a baby. He's a human, but never looked at me strangely just because we looked different. He wasn't afraid of me at all, even though he was smaller and weaker than me."

Jinbe looked thoughtful at that, staring out at the horizon where the sun was slowly setting, casting a warm glow over the broad sea. "'We are afraid because we don't know anything about each other.' Perhaps that really is the answer after all. Just like Queen Otohime has said as well." The shark fishman cast a gentle look down at the young girl. "She's a wise one, that child."

He stood then, walking back to the helm with those solemn thoughts lingering in his mind.

Hachi waited for a moment before looking over at the girl whose breathing had changed from the slow pace of real sleep. He gently flicked a finger against one cheek, chuckling softly. "Nyuu, you are awake, aren't you?" Guilty dark eyes snapped open to look at him, but Hachi soothed her fears before it could form. "It's alright. I'm not mad."

Koala sat up, continuing to stare up at him until reassured that he was telling the truth. She leaned back against his larger form to watch the sun sink fully down the horizon. Those last few rays of light illuminated a faint smile, a pure and genuine one, that slowly came to upturn her lips. "Hachi, that boy you talked about... I'd like to meet him someday."

The fishman smiled brightly in reply. "Nyuu, that would be nice."

* * *

 _Ace,_

 _It's been a while, hasn't it? I miss the times the three of us spent together. A lot has happened since then, but don't worry, I've figured out a way. I feel a bit bad saying this, but by the time you get this letter, I'll already be out at sea. I know we promised to set sail at when we turn seventeen, but one thing led to another, and it looks like I'll be setting sail ahead of you guys._

 _I'm not sure where I'm going yet but wherever I end up, I'll get stronger, and become a real pirate. Maybe I'll go visit you in Sabaody, Ace. But otherwise, let's meet again out at sea like we promised to - you, me and Luffy. Once all three of us have become pirates, with more freedom than anyone in the world, let's meet again someday. Somewhere out in the wide, open sea, I know I'll see you both again!_

 _One more thing, we never did find out which of us is the oldest, did we? Well, I suppose it's fine anyway. It's a little strange to have two eldest brothers and one younger brother, but this bond is my greatest treasure._

 _Your brother forever, in life and in death,_

 _Sabo_

The next letter came three days later, the originally messy handwriting made almost unintelligible with the splotches of dried tears all over it. Just almost, and the message that it brought made part of Ace wish that he hadn't actually been able to read it. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes to stem tears of his own, but some still spilled over to soak the letter once more.

"Dammit. Sabo you idiot..."

* * *

 _[7 years later...]_

"Uncle Ray, I want to start my journey in East Blue."

* * *

He had already long decided in which place he would officially mark the beginning of his journey as a pirate, but before then there was a visit to be made, at a certain little port town that held many of his memories.

"AAAACE!"

"LU! You've grown up so much!" Ace unreservedly returned Luffy's rubbery hug.

"Shishishishi, so have you."

"You've still got a bit to catch up on, Lu," the older teen teased, miming the three inches of height distance between them.

"Just wait, I'm gonna grow taller than you!"

"Not in your dreams. And stretching doesn't count!"

"GOMU GOMU NO TICKLE ATTACK!"

"GAH, LUFFY GEROFFM-HAHAHAHAHA...!"

The two brothers lay collapsed on the ground for a long time after that, both breathless from laughter. Ace chuckled weakly, shifting so that he could rest his head on Luffy's rubbery stomach. "Ace your hair tickles," the younger boy murmured half-heartedly. "You are in no position to complain," he retaliated.

"Hey Luffy. I'm gonna set sail soon. You know what they means." The bright-eyed younger boy looked up. Ace grinned roguishly. "So from the moment I leave this place, we'll be rivals. I'm the one who's going to become the next Pirate King."

Luffy's beam matched his. "Shishishi, you're on."

* * *

So. This was it.

Loguetown. Where his father had met the end of his life, but triggered the beginning of a new age. And it was in this very same place that Ace would mark the beginning of his own journey.

Murmurs started below as Ace took that final step onto the platform. "Hey you! That's area's restricted! Get down here now!" A guard began to run up the stairs, but it would take a fair while before he would reach the top.

Ace swept his hands out wide, relishing the feel of the wind as it swept past. The attention of everyone in the square was on him now. _'Your love of theatrics, is exactly like your father,'_ Rayleigh had groused more than once. Well, what better time to use it than now?

"Nineteen years ago, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger set off a golden age of piracy at this very spot, leaving behind a legacy that no one has been able to claim yet. But that wasn't the only thing he left in this world."

Grinning, he tilted his hat down to shadow his eyes as he took a running leap straight off the platform right before the guards could catch hold of him. "My name is Gol D. Ace, and I'm going to the be the next Pirate King! Remember it!"

Dropping nimbly down to ground level just shy of the startled crowd, Ace made a dash for the port where his sailing boat was moored, all prepared to take off into the endless horizons of the ocean. With a swift jump he leaped aboard, unfurling the sails to let them snap taut in the brisk wind, undoing the moorings with quick practiced movements. He was already a good distance away from the shore by the time the Marines reached it.

"Dad, Mum, are you watching me? I'm setting sail now."

* * *

Garp stared at the newly issued wanted poster with an unreadable expression, the grave demeanor a stark contrast to his usual joviality. The sound of footsteps made him look up as Sengoku walked into his office without ceremony.

The Fleet Admiral's eyes swept across to the paper held in his old friend's hand. "I see that you've heard the news."

"Yeah." Garp sighed heavily as he let the wanted poster fall back onto the table. "Roger's son, he claims? Gol D. Ace." Pirate Prince, the media had already begun calling him. The blood heir to the Pirate King's legacy.

"We have yet to officially verify it, but by his estimated age it is possible. People are questioning how he stayed under our radar for so long, especially considering the...lengths we took back then to avoid this very scenario, something that I am not proud of." Sengoku's face twisted at the memory. Too many innocent lives had been lost in those months. It had been a direct order from the World Government, and as an Admiral back then he had no power to resist despite his own moral qualms. Even now, as Fleet Admiral, he wondered if he could have had any sway to a decision made by the Gorosei. Likely not, even though it sickened him to admit his inability. "Either way, I have no doubt that Dark King Rayleigh was involved in this."

Garp looked at the smirking face in the wanted poster and remembered the freckled boy Ace, who he had met years ago. Luffy had claimed that he, along with that other child Sabo, came from the Town, but Garp had more than enough experience with lies, and Luffy in particular had always been an atrocious liar. Part of the reason for his impromptu return to his home island back then had been the rumors that Red Hair had been spotted hanging around the area, but there had been no trace of the young pirate for the week he had been home save the presence of a boy with Roger's eyes. Clear, bright eyes that had stared straight at him without fear. The next time he had visited, several months later, the boy had been gone, accompanied by the news of Red Hair's reappearance in the New World.

Feeling suddenly very old, he closed his eyes, heaving a long sigh.

"How long has it been, Sengoku? Twenty years? Should the son really be given the blame for the father's sins?"

Sengoku's hand dropped onto his shoulder, squeezing it briefly. "He made his decision when he decided to take on his father's name. Perhaps it would have been different if he had taken another name, lived a law-abiding life. But this is a man who has chosen to take up the flag of an outlaw, actively claiming his heritage, and in doing so has challenged the will of the Marines and the World Government itself."

"...You're right." By the laws of their world, this was indeed the truth.

His mind turned to Dragon, whose infamy matched and might even exceed Roger's. Back then, Dragon had cut all ties with himself and his own son to avoid this very scenario falling upon Luffy. This world was one that punished those they had judged as wrong without mercy, not just the individual but also his bloodline, as if crime was hereditary. Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't. Garp had no say in it; all he could do was protect his grandson from such a fate to the best of his abilities.

As if reading his thoughts, Sengoku gave his shoulder a final reassuring squeeze before silently leaving the room.

Garp sighed, looking back at the crumpled bounty poster. Clear, bright eyes, staring at the world without fear.

"Gol D. Ace, huh... Are you proud of the man your father was, I wonder?"

* * *

"Hmm, it should be around here?" Ace cocked his head at the looming building in front of him, taking in the multistory main tower and the high walls that surrounded it. "This is the one, I suppose. Kinda fancy for a pirate base, ain't it? Oh well." With a strong leap he was on the top of the wall, a vantage point that let him scan the expansive grounds, but also drew the attention of several surprised fishmen, whose expressions instantly turned guarded.

"What the- Who the hell are you!?"

Ace just smiled benignly at the angry-looking fishman who had spoken, giving the group a slight bow in greeting. "Please don't mind me, I'm just looking for my friend."

The answer was clearly unsatisfactory to the fishmen, who began to draw their weapons. Ace raised his hands.

"Hey, hey, I come in peace. Like I said, I'm looking for a friend of mine. Maybe you can help me with it? ...No? Too bad."

A familiar voice interrupted the increasingly tense atmosphere. "Nyuu, what's going on?"

"Hachi!" Ace grinned, vaulting off the wall right over the hostile group of fishmen to land nimbly in front of his old friend. "It's been so long! Dammit, you're still taller than me. Why do you just keep growing taller? Whoa, are those all swords!? It must be so cool to be able to use six swords at once. Hey, hey, we should have a test match sometime! I'm sure you must have gotten much stronger, but I have too, you know! But hey, you forgot your promise." The ending to that jumbled spiel was punctuated with a distinct pout.

The octopus fishman's mouth dropped open. "A-Ace!?"

"In the flesh. I said I'd come find you if you didn't meet me before I set sail, remember? So here I am. It took me awhile to find you."

One of the fishmen stepped forward, a tough looking one who still held his sword threateningly. "You know this punk, Hatchan?"

"Oh! He's my friend."

But this artless statement was greeted by disapproving frowns. "We're not friends with humans."

Hachi looked visibly startled at this response, and even more at the unwelcoming gazes of his fellow crew members that had started to turn towards him.

Before anyone could say anything further, Ace's voice cut in, the tone deceptively light but holding a dangerous undercurrent.

"You know, when you didn't come back to join my crew, I thought you'd found a really good crew and I was prepared to let you go. But that's clearly not the case. Why are you with these people, Hachi?"

"Nyuu..."

"Come on, Hachi, let's go. You don't need these guys."

"Oi, you punk, you think you can just leave like that-"

Any further hostilities were instantly stifled by a sharp wave of Conqueror's Haki, the gathered fishmen standing no chance against the young captain's will.

Ace turned to grin at the wide-eyed Hachi, mood lightening in a flash. "Uncle Ray taught me how. I've gotten strong too, see! Now let's go before they wake up."

"A-Ace..."

The captain frowned and turned back when he realized his friend wasn't following him. "Hey, Hachi?"

Hachi's hands were bunched in his T-shirt, fiddling nervously. "Ace, you know that I'm... not very smart, and I'm easily fooled. I'm not the good person that you think I am, Ace... Are you sure you want me on your crew?"

Ace was quiet as he walked back to the octopus fishman, holding out one hand. Surprised, Hachi reached out one of his own to clasp it, feeling Ace's fingers tighten around his warmly. And Hachi remembered one day seven years ago, when a much smaller hand had held his.

"You're my nakama, and I'm your nakama. Making up for each other's faults is what nakama are for, are they? So I'll ask you again, will you join my crew, Hachi?"

"...Yeah. Yeah."

Ace grinned, tugging at his friend's hand. "Then, let's go!"

Hachi laughed, tears in his eyes. "Just as impatient as ever, I see."

"Come on!"

Spade Pirates crew member No.1 chuckled and let himself be pulled along. "Aye aye, captain."

* * *

"You want to go with him, don't you, Sonia?"

Sandersonia jumped, spinning around to see Hancock standing there, and Marigold as well, just a little behind. "Sister..."

"Go," Hancock said quietly, and Sonia knew that her sister had given it long and arduous thought before giving her approval. They all knew how much their oldest sister feared losing them, yet here... It truly spoke volumes about how much she loved, no matter how Hancock acted to the world.

Marigold caught her in a firm hug. "I'll take care of her, so don't worry," she whispered fiercely. "Contact us whenever you can. Now go!"

Sandersonia brushed away her tears, smiling with watery eyes at her sisters. "Thank you."

* * *

"Ace!"

He turned round at her call, eyes wide. "Sonia?"

"You got any space on that ship for me?"

Ace's grin was as bright as that first time they met, her first memory after escaping from hell. And now, it marked the beginning of yet another new adventure as he held out his hand to her.

"Of course!"

* * *

"Uncle Ray, can you coat our ship?" Ace yelled as he bounded through the door, the rest of his crew filing in after him. "Hi Shakky!"

The woman laughed softly, and came around the bar to let the boy hug her. "Welcome back, Ace-chan. And Hacchan and Sonia-chan too, it's been so long!"

"Shakky!"

"Nyuu, it's great to see you, Shakky."

The other occupant of the room gave a low chuckle. "So you're finally here, Ace. Took you long enough."

Ace made a face at his father figure, leaning against the bar with the casualness only achievable by one who had grown up in the place. "Hey, I was enjoying the sights, okay! And wait till you hear about all the adventures we've had. And my bounty! 400 million beri, mind, 400 million!"

Rayleigh just snorted, flipping to the next page of his newspaper. "Brat."

Ace stuck his tongue out, which in no way negated the comment. "You're just jealous."

"You seem to be forgetting that my bounty is about ten times that amount. And is still active, mind you."

"That's different." Ace was almost whining. "You're old~"

"And you're the same snot-nosed brat you were seventeen years ago," Rayleigh retorted mercilessly. "Are you really a captain?"

"I am too! And here's my crew! Guys this is - …Guys? Hey, you guys? You alright?"

No one answered.

"Ace-chan, I think you broke them."

"Oops."

* * *

"Hey Ace, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, weren't Whitebeard and Roger enemies?"

"Nah, it'll be fine. Besides, I promised Marco and Thatch I'd drop by for a visit."

It said something that no one overtly reacted to the captain's unconcerned name-dropping anymore. After the shock of meeting Dark King Rayleigh in person, the bar had been set a little too high. But Marco the (fricking) Phoenix aside, this was still Whitebeard they were talking about, _Whitebeard_!

A few of them would have persisted in their protests, but the freckled youth had already bounced away in chase of the cook, demanding a mid-afternoon snack.

Stern uttered a sigh, slumping. "Our captain is crazy."

A pat on the shoulder made him look up at the grinning face of their first mate. Hachi's eyes twinkled. "Nyuu, isn't that exactly why we followed him in the first place?"

* * *

Ace doffed his hat politely, and bowed. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Whitebeard. I am Gol D. Ace."

"Hmph. Roger's brat, is it?" He had of course heard stories about the super rookie cutting a dash through the Grand Line, claiming to be the son of Roger and having the skills to match. He'd heard things from Marco and Thatch as well, about the young boy they had met years ago in Sabaody, with Roger's eyes and a will of his own. Whitebeard eyed the youth interestedly over the rim of his sake bottle, liking the look of the boy so far as the young pirate faced him with respect but no fear. Polite, too. Manners was something no one seemed to have bothered teaching Roger. Rayleigh had done well with this brat.

"That would be me, yes," was the calm reply, seemingly unconcerned about making the proclamation on the ship of his father's most infamous rival.

The kid had spunk, just like Thatch had said. Whitebeard liked that. "Gurarara! Why don't you take my mark upon your back, boy, and become a son of mine!"

The brim of his hat was tilted up, a irrepressible roguish grin curving the boy's lips. "Too bad, ossan, I already have a father and a crew."

Whitebeard eyed him with a tinge of approval. "Proud of your old man, are you?"

Ace grinned. "But of course."

The old man threw back his head and laughed heartily. "I like you, brat! We're having a party tonight! You will join us, of course."

"We would be honored to."

* * *

Shakky dropped the appropriate amount of coins into the Newscoo's pouch as the bird dropped off the day's newspaper and a letter. As usual Rayleigh reached for the paper, but after a glance at familiar scrawl over the front of the envelope picked it up instead. Shakky watched him from the corner of her eye as she stacked up clean glasses behind the counter, already knowing who it was from.

A moment later, Rayleigh choked on his coffee. Shakky chuckled, snatching a clean rag from its hook and tossing it over.

"The audacity of that brat," the white-haired former pirate muttered as he caught the cloth and mopped up the spill, but there was fondness and pride in his voice. At Shakky's questioning glance, he turned the photo that had been enclosed with the letter towards her. "Paid a visit to Newgate, just like that."

The wideness of Ace's grin outshone all the other pirates who had crowded into the range of the photo, Spade Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates alike. In the background Whitebeard looked amused and slightly resigned, an expression he had worn often in his dealings with Roger.

Looking at the picture again, Rayleigh snorted. For most part Ace had inherited much of Rouge's sweeter personality, but there were little quirks that were pure Roger. The boy would be the death of him someday.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe we had a party with the Whitebeard Pirates." The navigator was still wearing an expression of awe.

Beside him, Hachi was flipping through pages of notes filled with recipes and tips he had gotten from Thatch. He had been interested in how the Whitebeard cooks dealt with such a huge crew to feed. And it was something he had needed, considering Ace really was a battalion all by himself.

For his part, Ace was grinning widely, delighted that the visit had gone so well. Whitebeard really was a cool guy, just like Marco and Thatch had said.

"Right! On to the next one!" he announced. "Hey Stern, change our direction to follow this, kay?"

The navigator unthinkingly took the vivre card handed to him before his brain caught up with him. "Wait, 'next one'? We aren't going to meet another Yonko are we?" He stared at the piece of paper he now held between his fingers with sudden wariness, almost as if he feared that it would explode. Surely... Surely this vivre card couldn't belong to a Yonko, right? His captain's next words ruined his hope.

"Of course!" The youth was grinning as if he was just suggesting that they go to the galley to have dinner. "We're going to see Shanks!"

"Davy Jones helps us all..."

He really should be immune to his captain by now.

* * *

Hachi sat cross-legged on the ship's railing, basking in the green-filtered sunshine while looking out over the shores of Sabaody. They'd docked on Sabaody a few days ago, having passed through Fishman Island for a short visit and were now taking some time off before heading back to the New World. Many of the others had already left the ship to find their own entertainment, but he was waiting for Ace to head towards Shakky's place together. Said captain was currently busy rummaging through his room for a package Shanks had asked them to pass to Rayleigh a while ago, which had in between enemy battles and the New World's unpredictable weather gotten inexplicably buried under the mess he called a living space. The fishman yawned, settling in for a fair wait. Well, at least the weather was good.

His eyes slid towards the side where another ship had moored up not too far from theirs, blinking in slight bemusement. What a... cheerful-looking ship. From his angle he couldn't see their mark, but the hint of black in the windless flag told him that it was a pirate ship. It had a good feel to it though, perhaps accountable for by its bright paint colors and the light chatter that could be heard as the crew disembarked. A crew which was led by a bouncing youth with a very familiar straw hat.

What were the chances? Still, Ace wouldn't want to miss it if it really was who the first mate thought it was. Pushing himself off the ship, Hachi nimbly hopped over a couple of rising bubbles to reach the ragtag group. "Nyuu, are you Straw Hat Luffy?"

The straw hat wearing captain turned towards him curiously as the boy balanced playfully on a resin bubble of his own, cocking to his head to one side. A female voice spoke first however, more mature than the one in his memories but immediately recognizable nonetheless. "Hachi?"

Hachi's gaze spun towards the speaker, noticing the orange-haired girl standing behind the captain for the first time. His eyes widened in surprise. "Nami?"

"Eh, who's that? You know him, Nami?"

The navigator frowned. "Kind of. He used to be a member of the Arlong Pirates-"

"WHAT?" The Straw Hats were immediately on guard.

"But he disappeared three years ago, sometime while I was at sea. No one told me what actually happened," Nami continued, looking thoughtful.

The octopus fishman was holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Nyuu, I'm not part of Arlong's gang anymore. I didn't even know that Nami was with you. I saw Straw Hat and I thought I'd come over to say hello."

Luffy blinked in confusion, pointing at himself. "Me? Do I know you?"

Hachi smiled. The boy was just like Ace had described. "Not personally. But I've heard a lot about you from-"

"Hachi, I found it! Let's go!" Well, speak of the devil.

Luffy's eyes widened in glee at the sight of the figure who had hopped up onto the railing where Hachi had been previously, staring down at them with initial surprise that quickly turned into an expression that matched his brother's. "AAAACE!"

Ace's smile lit up in return. "LU!" He leaped straight off the ship to tackle the rubber boy, grabbing him in a noogie as they fell together to the ground. "Took you long enough to get here, Luffy!"

"Shishishishi, we've been having lots of adventure!"

"Luffy, who's this?"

The straw-hat wearer spun around, grin only growing impossibly wider. "Oh, right! Guys, this is my brother!"

"BROTHER!?"

"I am Ace. Thanks for taking care of my little brother."

The stranger bowed, and the Straw Hats automatically bowed back in response. Several of them still had their gazes fixed on the newcomer however, with slowly dawning realization. Usopp's eyes were like saucers. "'Ace'..." he echoed, unable to take his eyes off that familiar-looking face. One that he remembered seeing many times in the papers, accompanied by one outrageous report after another. "Could it be... You are Gol D. Ace, aren't you?

Ace grinned, white-teethed and confident. "That would be me. I'm honored that you know of me."

"Fire Fist Gol D. Ace... You stirred up a huge commotion three years back, claiming to be the Pirate King's son. I remember reading about it," Nami's eyes were matching their sniper's.

Their little reindeer doctor gasped. "Is it true?"

Ace's smirk was cocky. "Of course it is."

"Ace and I have different parents, but we're brothers!"

The older brunette chuckled slightly at Luffy's helpful but singularly uninformative explanation.

"We exchanged brother's cups. I met Luffy back when we were kids, when I went with Shanks to East Blue."

"Shanks?" the crew murmured, sending curious glances over at their captain. They'd heard briefly about the rubber boy's personal connection to the Yonko, but how did the Pirate King's son fit into all this?

"Shanks sailed with my dad back in the day. He was an apprentice on the Oro Jackson."

"SHANKS SAILED WITH THE PIRATE KING!?"

This, rather surprisingly, was exclaimed by Luffy himself, eyes bugging out of their sockets.

Ace blinked. "What, you didn't know? Well I suppose we never mentioned it," he realized after a short period of considering. "That straw hat used to belong to my dad too, you know."

"REALLY!?" The rubber boy snatched said hat off his head to stare at it. He turned to look at Ace with uncharacteristically serious eyes. "Is it okay for me to have it, then?"

Ace remembered Shanks asking him a similar question ten years ago, on the voyage back from Dawn Island. And his answer hadn't changed from that time. He took the hat from Luffy, placing it firmly back on his brother's head. "It suits you. And you made a promise with Shanks, didn't you? You've got to keep hold of it until you can go return it." Playfully he flicked the younger boy on the nose. "Anyway, you gave me this hat of mine too. Unless you want to swap, and be Cowboy Hat Luffy instead?" he teased.

Luffy wrinkled his nose, but his eyes were laughing again. "That sounds kinda weird."

Ace laughed. "See, I told you so."

The Straw Hats smiled at the easy banter between the brothers.

"You were raised by Shanks, then?"

"Nah, I was raised by Uncle Ray and Shakky, right here on Sabaody. So if you want to know anything about this place, I'm your man! Come to think of it, since you're here at Sabaody, you must want to get your ship coated to go down to Fishman Island, right? We'll bring you to Uncle Ray, he'll do it for you."

The Straw Hat crew obediently complied to Ace's gesture to follow him and Hachi, their captain still hanging off his older brother with his legs wrapped around his waist like a clinging koala.

Usopp jogged up to the brothers, voicing a question that had crossed many of their minds. "Say, Ace, when you said 'Uncle Ray', you couldn't possibly mean...?"

Ace's grin was bright and mischievous as he took in the crew's expressions of mixed hopefulness and trepidation. It was just like the early days with his own crew, before they'd all grown immune to him.

"Why, Silvers Rayleigh, of course!"

Yup, definitely the same.

* * *

Ace frowned, watching the crowd that passed by outside the restaurant even as he constantly shoveled food into his mouth.

"What is it, Ace?" Sonia asked as she picked up a skewer of roasted meat and vegetables from one of the platters spread across the table.

The captain swallowed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes still following the passerbys. "It's weird," he told her quietly. "I'm sure that Uncle Ray told me about Dressrosa before, but he never mentioned anything about living toys. I'd have thought that it would be something worth talking about."

"Hmm..." The Zoan user looked thoughtful. "Are you sure it wasn't just because he didn't want to spoil the surprise?"

Ace considered it, but shook his head after a while. "Something's... off in this place. And after that incident we saw on the street earlier, it seems even fishier. Anyway," he licked off the last bit of spiced tomato sauce on the plate, "Let's head around to check things out."

The restaurant owner blinked as two figures dashed past him. "H-HEY! Get back here! Dammit, it's an eat-and-run!"

Laughing, Ace and Sonia had already turned the corner before the owner could even collect his senses, and were far out of sight.

"Ace, Sonia!"

Ace grinned as he hit a brake in his running to swerve onto the street his first mate was on. "Hey, Hachi! We were just gonna go find you. Who's this?" he questioned, looking curiously at the girl at the fishman's side, with a dark pink beret covering short orange hair.

Hachi's eyes crinkled happily. "Nyuu, this is Koala! We knew each other from back when I was with the Sun Pirates."

The girl came cheerfully forward, holding a hand out with bright eyes. "You must be Ace! Hachi's told me lots about you. I'm Koala, nice to meet you."

He shook it warmly. "Same to you! Any friends of Hachi's are my friends too. And this is Sonia, she's our crew's best sniper."

The girls shook hands as well, looks of surprise passing their faces as they stared at each other. "I think I know you, from back then," Koala murmured, voice turning soft and eyes filled with old memories. She didn't need to say more for both of them to know what she meant.

Sonia smiled back, with that same tinge of sadness and phantom pain. "We've never talked, but I've also seen you before. I'm so glad to be able to meet you again." In this different place, in this better life. That went unsaid, but was understood.

The moment was broken by the muffled babble coming from Koala's bag. "Sorry, give me a moment." The girl stepped away slightly to take the incoming call on her baby Den Den Mushi. "Koala speaking. What's up, Chief?" The response was too quiet for them to hear clearly, the low mumble of a man's voice. "Right, noted. I'm currently downtown, nothing out of the ordinary so far. Ran into an old friend and his crew. Why don't you come here to meet me? I'll ask them if they know anything too. Right, see you then." She hung up after giving the caller the name of the street they were on, returning to the group. "My friend's coming over. Say, did you notice any suspicious activity around the docks when you came in, like people carrying around crates or stuff?"

The Spades Pirates looked at each other. "Can't say we did, but we weren't paying too much attention to the other ships. Are you looking for something?"

Koala scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "That's classified information, I'm afraid. Can't really tell you too much. Maybe the – Ah, he's here, that was fast."

A tall figure slid up beside Koala, pulling off dark glasses to smile politely at them. "Hello, the name's S-" He froze, staring very hard at a certain member of the group.

A face that was familiar, yet unfamiliar? Familiar, but... He knew who this man was, of course he did. Everyone knew of the infamous young pirate who claimed to be the Pirate King's son, and as the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff he made an effort to keep up with the latest happenings. But in that moment he realized that he had never seen that face, not truly. Not in the way he should have seen it.

Both sides looked like they had just seen a ghost. Which for Ace at least, was really quite an appropriate description. The dark-haired youth was looking quite as pale as his blond brother, which was a feat onto itself.

"Sabo?" That familiar yet unfamiliar voice cut into Sabo's jumbled thoughts like an echo in the fog. One hand came up to clutch his head as a shot of pain stabbed through it. His vision wavered as long-repressed memories flooded his mind in disjointed pieces. But even as it blurred, his eyes finally fixed on that familiar face.

"A...Ace...?"

"O-Oi!" Ace caught the other man as he collapsed.

"What happened!?" Koala was instantly at his side, eyes huge at the unexpected development. "Sabo-kun?"

"I have no idea, but this idiot has a lot of explaining to do! Anyway our ship's just nearby, let's go there first."

Without waiting for Koala's reply, Ace gently lifted his brother's limp body into his arms and was already running back towards the docks.

* * *

The first thing Sabo saw when he opened his eyes was a fuzzy head of orange hair.

"Sabo-kun!"

He blinked, his vision clearing a little as he did so, bringing the face into focus. "...Koala...?" His voice sounded like the Alabastan desert had gotten stuck in it, but the girl's concerned expression melted away into relief.

"Doc, he's awake!" a deeper voice yelled from further away, before a second face loomed above him. The features had matured in comparison to the face in his memories, but he would recognize those magnetic black eyes and dusting of freckles anywhere.

"A-Ace..."

That beaming grin was so familiar that he couldn't help but return it. "Took you long enough, idiot," the other said teasingly. His brother settled at the foot of the bed as a man who was presumably the crew's doctor checked Sabo over, quiet until Doc proclaimed that the blond would have no lasting damage. Dark eyes stared at him, tracing the edges of the scar that had burned over his left eye, only by some miracle leaving the vision unharmed. "Koala told me about your amnesia."

Sabo ran one hand frustratedly through his hair, mussing it up further. "Damn it, I can't believe I forgot for _ten years_." He looked at Ace, eyes filled with regret. "You guys probably thought I was dead, didn't you?"

"We did." The brunette stood finally, coming closer to stand next to the bed. "And we both cried our hearts out, but that doesn't matter now."

"How can it not-"

"It. Doesn't. Matter." Ace's firm voice cut sharply across his guilt, forcing Sabo to look up at him with wide eyes. "We cried because we love you. Because we wanted you to be back. And now you are."

"Dammit Ace..." Sabo pressed his hands over his eyes, but tears still ran down from beneath his palms. Gentle arms reached out to draw him into a warm embrace.

"Now look who's the crybaby," Ace teased.

"You're crying too," Sabo accused right back, though he let his cheek rest on Ace's shoulder.

"I bet Luffy is gonna cry ten times more than the both of us added together."

Luffy... Sabo closed his eyes as he thought of their little brother. "How is he?"

"Energetic as ever last time I saw him, still insisting that he's going to be the Pirate King. I know you're blaming yourself for leaving again," Ace added, reading his thoughts perfectly, "But I'll leave it to Luffy to shake you out of it this time. You know, Luffy's actually the reason why I came here. I saw in the news that he's formed an alliance with Trafalgar Law and last I heard they're heading here towards Dressrosa. I bet he's stirring up some crazy shit and I want to be part of it."

Sabo snorted. "You never change, do you?"

"Can't let our crybaby little brother get the better of me, you know! With all the trouble that he's been getting into this past year and the way his bounty value is climbing, he might just end up topping me on the Marines' most wanted list. Did you hear about the Enies Lobby incident?"

A long pause ensued as Sabo stared at Ace with blank eyes that slowly turned horrified as his newly returned memories connected the dots. "THAT WAS HIM!?"

Ace smirked at his brother's reaction. "Growing up so fast, ain't he?" he continued in a teasingly light tone. "Our baby brother, challenging the World Government. Takes after his father too."

"'His father'?" Sabo questioned slowly, with a tone and expression that clearly stated 'I really want to know but I also kinda don't want to know because it'll probably give me apoplexy especially with that Cheshire grin Ace is sporting...'.

"Your boss, that is. Monkey D. Dragon," Ace answered with all the air of someone calmly dropping a bombshell.

Sabo's mind creakingly computed that revelation and everything that it meant, before lowering his head into his hands. "It figures. Really," he muttered. "Why am I still surprised by anything anymore?"

Ace patted him consolingly on the back. "Come on, let's go get reunited with that crazy little brother of ours."

* * *

As with every decision made in life, there are things that would change, and things that would remain the same. We gain and we lose, and perhaps somewhere along the way, we would realize that the best things have always been there with us, no matter what else might come and go. That those we love are there with us, in life, in death, and maybe even in a universe separate from our own. And that is the most important thing.

So no matter in what world, in what life; whether it is chance or destiny that brings us together... these will always be the words that come from my heart.

 _Thank you for loving me._


End file.
